Huge Majority Research Articles

Genetic sequencing detected the SARS-CoV-2 delta variant in wastewater a month prior to the first COVID-19 case in Ahmedabad (India)

Wastewater-based genomic surveillance can identify a huge majority of variants shed by the infected individuals within a population, which goes beyond genomic surveillance based on clinical samples (i.e., symptomatic patients only). We analyzed four samples to detect key mutations in the SARS-CoV-2 genome and track circulating variants in Ahmedabad during the first wave (Sep/Nov 2020) and before the second wave (in Feb 2021) of COVID-19 in India. The analysis identified a total of 34 mutations in the spike protein across samples categorized into 23 types. The spike protein mutations were linked to the VOC-21APR-02; B.1.617.2 lineage (Delta variant) with 57% frequency in wastewater samples of Feb 2021. The key spike protein mutations were T19R, L452R, T478K, D614G, & P681R and deletions at 22029 (6 bp), 28248 (6 bp), & 28271 (1 bp). Interestingly, these mutations were not seen in the samples from Sep/Nov 2020 but did appear before the massive second wave of COVID-19 cases, which in India started in early April 2021. In fact, genetic traces of the Delta variant were found in samples of early Feb 2021, more than a month before the first clinically confirmed case of this in March 2021 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The present work describes the circulating of SARS-CoV-2 variants in Ahmedabad and confirms the consequential value of wastewater surveillance for the early detection of variants of concerns (VOCs). Such monitoring must be included as a major component of future health protection systems.

Actinic lentigines from Japanese and European volunteers share similar impaired biological functions

BackgroundHyperpigmented spots develop earlier and with a higher incidence in Asian individuals compared with Europeans. Although actinic lentigines (AL) are very common, the biological events underlying their formation remain ill-defined. ObjectiveAL from Japanese volunteers were characterized through morphological and gene expression analyses. Data were then compared with published data on European volunteers. MethodsAL on hands were selected through dermoscopic imaging and pattern scoring in Japanese women. Skin biopsies of AL and adjacent non-lesional (NL) skin were processed for histology and gene expression profiling. Japanese and European studies were compared after harmonizing the data using the same mathematical and statistical methods. ResultsHistologically, AL from Japanese individuals revealed deep epidermal invaginations with melanin accumulation in the depth of epidermal rete ridges. Transcriptomic data identified 245 genes differentially expressed in AL versus NL skin samples, associated with the different skin compartments and multiple functional families and biological processes, such as epidermal homeostasis, extracellular matrix organization and ion binding/transmembrane transport. Strikingly, melanogenesis-related genes were not significantly modulated in AL compared with NL skin.Comparison of the molecular profiles of Japanese and European AL showed that a huge majority of genes were modulated in the same way, recapitulating the overall biological alterations. ConclusionAL from Japanese volunteers exhibited morphological and molecular alterations of the whole skin structure with impairment of multiple biological functions similar to that found in European women. These findings will contribute to the development of efficient treatments of AL lesions.

The place ow women in the theatres of São Paulo

The aim of this article was to provide quantitative information about the gender gap in theatre production in the city of São Paulo (Brazil), thereby helping to raise awareness of the inequalities faced by women in the field. The text compares the opportunities available to men and women working in seven different theatre-related occupations and is underpinned by a mapping of 1,466 plays performed in the city throughout 2018. The data were collected from three weekly guides published by the local media and two monthly publications: a theatre guide and a magazine from a cultural institution that ran 20 cultural venues in the city. Any gaps were then filled by directly contacting theatre venues and the producers of the plays. There was a significant imbalance towards men in the two most strategic theatre production jobs: men wrote 77% of the plays and directed 78% of them. Thus, male professionals were a huge majority precisely in the functions responsible for building the discourse that reaches audiences. Compared to women, this left them in a much better position to express their values, ideas, and perspectives. This gap was smaller when considering performers, of which 46% were female. Women were also largely absent in technical occupations given that they were a minority among lighting directors and set designers. However, women represented the majority among costume designers. The most unexpected result was the parity among producers, with 52% being women. All the aforementioned gaps increased when the number of performances were considered. On average, women worked less in plays that provided more working time that were therefore, more likely tohave higher salaries. The study also showed that when women were responsible for writing, directing, or producing a play,the gap was reduced in all the other functions.

A study of the policies and perspectives of Tony Blair’s Labour government towards European Union

This paper mainly explains about United Kingdom and European Union relations during Tony Blair’s period. After UK’s membership to EU in 1973, it had not actively engaged in the European Union’s policy initiatives and implementation process. From 1973 to 1996, the successive UK Prime Ministers followed a negative and skeptical attitude towards various EU policy initiatives and none of the UK Prime Ministers showed any special interest to improving its relations with EU. In this juncture, Tony Blair’s Labour government made a huge difference in the European Union and United Kingdom’s relationship. The Labour party came to power in UK after the 1997 UK General election. It in its 1997 election manifesto introduced the pro-European policy strategy goals and this was whole heartedly supported by the UK people. As a result, it won the election by a huge majority of votes in its party history. The 1997 election gave new direction to the UK’s EU policy. Blair’s pro-European policy initiatives made a huge change in the EU-UK relations. His government from the very beginning made clear to the UK citizens that their government would take more pro-active and constructive role in the EU policy making and various developmental programmes.

Diagnosis of inherited retinal dystrophies. Relevance of molecular genetic testing from the patient's perspective

The diagnostic process of inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD) is impeded by their low prevalence and the variability of the clinical presentations; however, for patients avalid diagnosis is vital for future planning and evaluating the potential of an appropriate early treatment to delay disease progression. Aim of the current study was to outline the patients' journeys until they receive the final diagnosis. This should help uncover diagnostic shortcomings and highlight potential for improvement with respect to the use of genetic diagnostic testing. Data were collected by questionnaires and an online survey conducted by the self-help association PRO RETINA Deutschland e. V. among patients with IRD. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. From 15 March to 22 April 2021, 183 questionnaires were completed and 42online interviews conducted. The surveyed population consisted of 48% female patients, mean age was 55years and first symptoms occurred at amean age of 22years. On average about 14years passed from first symptoms until final diagnosis. Only 66% of the patients reported that they had received at least 1 diagnostic genetic testing; less than half of the patients (47%) received genetic counseling. The huge majority of patients (85%) would be interested in gene therapy. From the perspective of affected patients, ashortening of the time to diagnosis, the use of molecular genetic testing and the offer of genetic counseling are important to improve patient care for patients with IRD.

Machine learning algorithms for early diagnosis of diabetes mellitus: A comparative study

A huge majority of people all over the globe are coping with the devastating effects of diabetes, and many of them are not being identified early enough. Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases for cause of death, it develops whenever the person's body becomes unable to create sufficient insulin and the level of glucose is increased in the blood. Overall, Diabetes' global influence has exploded in current years and is expected to continue to do so in the near future. Diabetes affects around 463 million people worldwide; By 2045, this figure will have risen to 700 million. In many nations, the number of people with type 2 diabetes is increasing. Diabetes has become one of the most common diseases for the cause of death, leading to major health issues such as blindness, kidney disease, strokes,heart disease, etc. In this research, some Machine Learning Algorithms are utilized in the prediction ofDiabetes because they are effective at aiding and making predictions from big amounts of data. This research conducts a comparativeevaluation of diabetes diagnosis based on Machine LearningAlgorithms like Naïve Bayes (NB), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Neural Network, Adaboost, K-nearest neighbor (KNN), Linear Kernel SVM etc. In a result, Neural Network produced the best results with the highest accuracy rate.

Covid 19 home confinement effects on consumer's food consumption and eating habits

The pandemic COVID-19 continues to threaten human life in all over the world. This pandemic changed the scenario of life in every way such as finance, health and even the food habits. This paper investigated the home confinement effects on consumer’s food consumption and eating habits during pandemic. In line with the recommendations for social distancing under pandemic conditions, the empirical data was collected through online survey. A sample size of 30 respondents was randomly selected from Hisar district in Haryana state. An online questionnaire was made and circulated through local social media( g-mail and what’s up) among the respondents during lockdown period starts from April to May 2021.The results revealed that maximum number of respondents (46.6%) belonged to 31-40 years of age group, belonging to BC category (46.6%),were graduate(40.0%) with main occupation as government service (56.6%).More than half of the respondents(56.6%) supermarket was the most preferred place of purchase of various food items from different food categories. Huge majority of the respondents (90.0%) prefer to consume home made products with rank I. Due to home confinement, majority of the respondents change their eating habits and follow practices in adoption of cooking and preparing food scored I rank.In stocking of food items, most of the respondents(80.0%) stock only non-perishable products such as cereal and cereal products and spices and condiments followed by other food categories.To ensure the safety of itself and others from Covid-19,take some simple precautions like social distancing, wearing a mask, keeping rooms well ventilated, avoiding crowds, cleaning your hands and coughing into a bent elbow or tissue.

Three generations of paediatric training

In the UK, the life of a paediatric trainee has undoubtedly changed over three generations, spanning the last 70 years. LPB-L, who is retired, started training in the mid-1950s; his...

Vaccine confidence is higher in more religious countries

ABSTRACT Vaccine hesitancy is a threat to global health, but it is not ubiquitous; depending on the country, the proportion that have confidence in vaccines ranges from a small minority to a huge majority. Little is known about what explains this dramatic variation in vaccine confidence. We hypothesize that variation in religiosity may play a role because traditional religious teachings are likely to be incompatible with the specific magical/spiritual health beliefs that often undergird anti-vaccination sentiments. In analyses of publicly available data in 147 countries, we find that a country measure of religiosity is strongly positively correlated with country measures of confidence in the safety, importance, and effectiveness of vaccines, and these associations are robust to controlling for measures of human development (education, economic development, and health). The underlying mechanism needs to be examined in future research.

A bottom up approach to slowing fashion: Tailored solutions for consumers

Fast fashion has emerged in the last few decades, clothes have become cheaper, less durable and are purchased more frequently. Shifting consumers away from fast fashion is challenging, even for the more ethically minded. Individuals have different decisionmaking practices and respond differently to social norms. Even the most ethically minded engage in ‘grey’ consumption and are susceptible to planned obsolescence in fashion cycles (McDonald et al., 2012). There is, thus, a value-action gap in relation to clothing where environmental consciousness does not cohere with behaviours. In this paper we use cultural thematic schemata (from cultural theory) as a heuristic device to tailor solutions that could reduce the value-action-gap in relation to sustainable clothing based in-depth qualitative research. Recognising that consumers differ from one another, we suggest targeting the three ‘ideal types’ of personality derived from cultural theory - the egalitarian, the hierarchist and individualist. It is evident from the findings that bottom-up solutions such as making stations, social marketing, wardrobe audits and education are important enablers of slow fashion. They would work alongside a number of industry-led governmental and top down policies. Our novel use of cultural theory to the problem of fast fashion has enabled us to suggest bottom-up solutions, which can be tailored for maximum resonance with a broad range of people. It was clear for the huge majority of our research participants that social interaction was as important in shaping their views and behaviours as the learning of skills. This should be mimicked in any attempt to increase the life of, or upscale our work. Finding ways of expanding our project work from a small niche, to a mass market is crucial.

Britain’s authoritarian turn

Looking back, in December 2020, at the year since Boris Johnson’s Conservatives were swept back into government with a huge majority, the author identifies a raft of new laws, Home Office measures and government proposals in the fields of policing, crime, and immigration and asylum which embody long-held rightwing projects. Coming on top of already discriminatory practices, these include restrictions on the fundamental right of peaceful protest and freedom from invasive and racist policing, the subjection of migrants and asylum seekers to dangerous and inhumane conditions and the removal of legal protections for asylum seekers. Simultaneously, Bills going through parliament restrict or remove altogether the legal accountability of state actors, including soldiers on overseas operations and police informants, for crimes including torture and murder. Citizens’ recourse to the courts to challenge unlawful ministerial decisions is also under threat.

Challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic encountered by students in Pakistan

This paper aims to identify the challenges faced by Pakistani students during online learning environment, to determine whether a difference exist between males and females students regarding challenges faced during online learning, and to evaluate the effectiveness of online learning in Pakistan from students' perspectives. The population of the present study was consisted of students who were taking online classes in Lahore Pakistan. The study design was cross sectional and analytic study. A sample of 550 students was drawn. The technique of simple random sampling was used for this purpose. Google form questionnaire was used as a tool for data collection. Frequency table were used to represent the findings. One Sample t-test applied regarding problem faced by students in online learning, Independent Sample t-test regarding difference between male and female students responses about challenges faced during online education and One way ANOVA for significant difference between qualification level of students responses about challenges faced during online education. Results revealed that all the students were facing same issues either they were school level or university level. Male and female students were facing same challenges in online classes. Online learning cannot produce good results in developing countries like Pakistan, where a huge majority of students are not able to access the good internet facility due to technical as well as financial issues. This study addressed the effectiveness of online and challenges faced by students who are taking online classes. As per this study, 88% of students had not proper internet facility and they faced lots of internet issues and 65% students were not satisfied with online learning 85% students complaining about eye sight issue by taking online classes on devices 50% students were unable to manage the university affairs. As a result, we found that all the students were facing same issues either they were school level or university level. We also obtained that male and female students were facing same challenges in online classes.

Vegetation science during hectic times

Vegetation science during hectic times

Young Scottish National Party Members’ Perceptions of Scotland and the United Kingdom

This paper explores young Scottish National Party (SNP) members’ views of Scotland and the United Kingdom. It is based on the analysis of the results of an online survey and interviews with young SNP members about their political engagement and their understanding of national identity, which we carried out from 2018 to 2020. Our study focuses especially on how the members of Young Scots for Independence (YSI) and SNP Students, the youth and student wings of the SNP, perceive the Scottish nation and the UK. This paper reflects upon the way these young people define Scottishness and Scottish society. It also discusses the role of national identity in their campaign for independence. Do they want Scotland to leave the Union because they see themselves, and Scottish people as a whole, as different from other British people? Do they consider their relationship with people in the rest of the United Kingdom as a kind of ‘Us vs. Them’ dichotomy? What does living together mean for them? The present paper shows that most of the members of the SNP youth and student wings do not feel British. A huge majority of them see the UK as a union of ‘un-equals’, which is exclusive, not progressive, and where Scotland’s voice is not heard enough. Besides self-determination, it is in the name of social democratic values that they campaign for Scottish independence. Significantly, social democracy is at the heart of their definition of the Scottish nation.

Application of artificial intelligence techniques in irrigation and crop health management for crop yield enhancement

Agriculture is the backbone of all developing countries. The livelihood of a huge majority of the Indian population is completely dependent on agriculture. However lack of basic requirement lead to poor development in this sector. The major factor required for the development of this sector is to improve water supply level. The lack of proper monsoon has resulted in poor agricultural yield. Based on the natural calamities we can predict the requirement of water for particular crop at different stages of growth and also enhance the yield. In this paper, we have chosen Thottiyam taluk as example located in the state of Tamilnadu, India. For that location we have collected the basic attributes required for good irrigation management for the months of December and January. Artificial Intelligence techniques are applied to predict the water level requirement and their performances can be compared.

Robust adaptive target detection in hyperspectral imaging

One of the main issue in detecting a target from an hyperspectral image relies on properly identifying the background. Many assumptions about its distribution can be advocated, even if the Gaussian hypothesis prevails. Nevertheless, the huge majority of the resulting detection schemes assume that the background distribution remains the same whether the target is present or not. In practice, because of the spectral variability of the target and the non-linear mixing with the background radiance, this hypothesis is not strictly true. In this paper, we consider that an unknown background mismatch exists between the two hypotheses. Under the assumption that this mismatch is small, we derive an approximation of the Likelihood Ratio for the problem at hand. This general formulation is then applied to the case of Gaussian distributed background, leading to a robust Adaptive Matched Filter. The behaviour of this new detector is analysed and compared to popular detectors. Numerical simulations, based on real data, show the possible improvement in case of target signature mismatch.

ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE USE OF MOBILE HEALTH APPLICATIONS IN BULGARIA

Background: The increasing use of mobile phones has offered an opportunity to improve the quality of health services, secure the accessibility of healthcare systems for a larger population and support patients in effective management of their health/chronic conditions.
 Main Goal: The primary focus of the study in hand is to explore the different attitudes towards the use of mHealth in Bulgaria and to examine the extensive use of mobile health applications for the supervision, prevention and containment of various socially relevant diseases, including the promotion of healthy lifestyles.
 Materials and methods: An online survey was conducted in the period between July 2019 and February 2020. Amongst the 976 people that were interviewed, 591 (60.6%) were females and 385 (39.4%) were males. The mean age of the respondents was 43.25 ± 0.755. A unique questionnaire was prepared for the collection of information regarding the usage of mobile health applications. Statistical analyses were carried out with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics, version 23. MS Excel 2016 was used for the graphical representation of the results.
 Results: 89% of the participants possessed a mobile phone and an approximate 84% of them used mHealth applications. Besides this, the results suggested a considerable statistical difference in the respondents’ attitudes, in terms of their gender, where the deviation was in favour of female respondents. Additionally, findings revealed another statistical difference on the basis of their age and level of education. Furthermore, a huge majority claimed that they generally used these types of applications for monitoring their blood pressure or pulse.
 Conclusion: The outcome of the study was that a significant number of respondents were already using or tended to use smartphones and various applications, including health ones. We expect that the results of this study will provide evidence of the essentiality of mobile health applications to be developed in Bulgaria. This is crucial for patients as this technology has the potential to open up several new possibilities for treatments and observations of diverse socially significant diseases.

An assessment of riparian communities’ preparedness to flood risk: the case of Mbire communities in Zimbabwe

Flood preparedness involves building capacities of communities for effective disaster response and recovery. Communities that effectively prepare for disasters can save life and minimise injuries, property damage and any psychological pain/stress associated with hazards. In view of this, the present study assessed the preparedness of riparian communities living in Mbire district, Zimbabwe and identified their capacity building needs. It used a weighted 5-point Likert Scale to quantify 11 preparedness indicators: resource availability; emergency and evacuation plans; early warning systems; flood knowledge/awareness/education, and proofing information; post-flood recovery; risk communication and social capital. Using a mixed approach, data came from a questionnaire survey involving 304 respondents who were selected through cluster sampling, and five focus group discussions that were purposively selected among the riparian communities. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse quantitative data and determine the level of community preparedness on each variable and indicator. A factor analysis was also conducted to identify the underlying factors that either hindered or promoted flood preparedness. Results show that riparian communities are unprepared for flood disasters. They need capacity building in terms of resource mobilisation, evacuation plans, early warnings, flood education/training/awareness, flood proofing information, post flood recovery and risk communication. A huge majority of about 82% of the indicators showed incipient levels of development. Likewise, about 71% of the variables were at or below incipient level of development. Poverty, flood awareness, social capital and contigency planning emerged as the major drivers of flood preparedness. The study concludes that measuring flood preparedness of riparian communities require context-specific variables. These findings are useful to national and sub-national governments with the mandate to formulate and implement appropriate flood disaster policies and plans where floods are a problem.

Adoption of Spices Cultivation Technology by the Growers in Shibganj Upazila under Bogura District of Bangladesh

Traditionally, spices are important components used for preparation of everyday menu, especially for Bangladeshi. In this connection, Spices Research Center under Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has been releasing new spices varieties but there is dearth of research on the adoption of these newly released spices varieties. Therefore, the present study aimed at to examine the extent of adoption of spices cultivation technology by the growers in Shibganjupazila under Bogura district. Data were collected from 90 household heads selected following proportionate random using a structured interview schedule. Major cultivating spices varieties which are noticed in the study area are BARI piaz1, BARI ada2, BARI holud5. Under the three major spices variety, 43.3 percent area was covered by small scale spices cultivation, 42.2 percent by medium scale and 14.5 percent was covered by large scale area of spices cultivation. Findings revealed that huge majority (80.0%) of the respondents had medium adoption of BARI piaz1 whereas almost all (93.3%) of them had medium adoption of BARI ada2. On the other hand, more than half (53.3%) of the respondents had low adoption of BARI holud5 whereas 40.0 percent of them had medium and 6.7 percent had high adoption of the same. Vital perceived benefits that attracted the respondents in spices cultivation were higher price, yield and quality of the technologies than those of previous. BARI holud5 was found more profitable (BCR 1.7) than BARI piaz1 (BCR 1.3) and BARI ada2 (BCR 1.3). Respondent farmers’ education, farm size, innovativeness, extension contact, knowledge on spices cultivation and annual family income showed significant and positive relationship with their adoption of spices technology.
 The Agriculturists 2020; 18(1) 81-93

Mathematical Analysis Of Covid-19 Phenomenon

The epidemic is defined as a disease that affects the huge majority of the world, massively infecting people and causing deaths. Negative effects, number of casualties, spreading speeds and start-to-finish time of these outbreaks are different. This difference depends on the domains, the process of vaccination studies, and cured. Today, the virus that causes the world-threatening epidemic is COVID-19. One can find the handling of COVID-19 cases with the SIR (susceptible-infected-recovered) Mathematical Model in the essay. The study carefully examines data from worldometers, establishes the SIR Model, estimates the number of infected people cases in China and South Korea.