Major Victims Research Articles

Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic on Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMEs) in the GCC

In all over the word, COVID 19 has created uncertainty and panic situation in almost all areas of life. Not only financial position of all countries has been badly affected but also internal and external social lives have also disturbed badly. If we talk about Bahrain and its economy, all large scale businesses in general and small and medium sized businesses have dropped up to their alarming position. Major victims of the COVID-19 outbreak are micro, small, and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). This article aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on these businesses and provide policy recommendations to help SMEs in reducing business losses and survive through the crisis. The study adopted an exploratory methodology with comprehensively reviewing the available literature in the relevant field. Further, to add empirical evidence, we collected data from some Bahraini SMEs by administering an online questionnaire. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results indicate that most of the participating enterprises have been severely affected and they are facing several issues such as financial, supply chain disruption, decrease in demand, reduction in sales and profit, among others. Besides, over 75% of enterprises were neither prepared nor have any plan to handle such a situation. The findings of our study are consistent with previous studies. Based on the results of the research, different policy recommendations were proposed to ease the adverse effects of the outbreak on SMEs. Keywords: Small and Medium Sized Businesses (SMSs, GCC, COVID-19)

Raptor migration at Guantouling, south-west China: phenology, weather influence and persecution pressure

Summary South-west China, particularly between the Himalayas and the Beibu Gulf, constitutes an important corridor for migratory raptors along the East-Asian continental flyway. However, a lack of ornithological assessment and the common practice of illegal hunting in this region emphasize the need for research and conservation actions. To investigate the ecology of migration and scale of persecution, we launched one of the first citizen-science projects in mainland China to record southward-migrating raptors and hunting gunshots from 2015 to 2019 on Guantouling, a well-known raptor site in South-west China. A total of 42,891 raptors were recorded, belonging to 30 diurnal raptor species. Grey-faced Buzzard Butastur indicus, Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus and Amur Falcon Falco amurensis were the three most abundant species recorded. The bulk of Grey-faced Buzzard and Amur Falcon migrated through Guantouling from mid-October till early November, while Oriental Honey Buzzard migrated throughout October and early November. Precipitation slowed down migration significantly while increasing cloud cover was favoured by the three most abundant species. We found hunting mostly occurred in the afternoon, coinciding with an increasing number of Oriental Honey Buzzard, which may become a major victim of hunting. It is thus suggested to prioritize peak raptor migration period for law enforcement actions, especially on cloudy days and after passage of cold fronts, when Oriental Honey Buzzards and other species are likely to migrate. The annual counting scheme on Guantouling is not only an ecological survey, but also an effective way of engaging the public to counter raptor persecution.

Eco-socialism and the political ecology of forest conservation in the Greater Khingan Range, China

State-owned forestry enterprises (SOFEs) in China, established during the Maoist era for forest exploitation, have undergone significant reorganization under the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP). In this study, drawing on the perspectives of political ecology and a case study from a SOFE in the Greater Khingan Range in northeast China, we develop an eco-socialist perspective to understand this particular approach to forest conservation. The concept of eco-socialism is mobilized to describe how, as a form of all-encompassing social organization with overwhelming political, social, and economic power in the forestry regions, the eco-restructuring of SOFEs is key to the success of forest conservation. Four eco-restructuring processes have been identified: (1) declining timber sales and increasing central subsidies; (2) restructuring of work-units; (3) creating redundancies; and (4) developing new sustainable economic activities. Furthermore, these eco-restructuring processes, both mandated and supported by the central government, have a significant impact on state-society relationship. While the resources given by the central government allow SOFEs to maintain a stable relationship with some workers by providing them a relatively stable livelihood, the laid-off workers are the major victims of the process, as they suffer from loss of income, economic stability, and social self-esteem. This study enriches the literature by incorporating eco-socialist governmentality into the political ecology of forest conservation and illustrating how the political ecology perspective can be a powerful tool in the collective effort to craft sustainable and socially just futures in China.

The pattern of orthopedic fractures and visceral injury in road traffic crash victims, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Road Traffic crash injury is one of the main public health problems resulting in premature death and disability particularly in low-income countries. However, there is limited evidence on the crash fractures in Ethiopia. The study was conducted to assess the magnitude of road traffic crash fractures and visceral injuries. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 420 fracture patients. Participants were randomly selected from Addis Ababa City hospitals. The study was carried out between November 2019 and February 2020. Data were collected using a questionnaire and record of medical findings. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was carried out. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Addis Ababa University, College of Health Sciences Institutional Review Board. Confidentiality of participants' information was maintained. The study found out that the majority 265 (63. 1%) of fracture cases were younger in the age group of 18 to 34 years. Males were more affected-311(74.0%). The mortality rate was 59(14.1%), of those 50(85.0%) participants were males. The major road traffic victims were pedestrians-220(52.4%), mainly affected by simple fracture type -105(53.3%) and compound fracture type-92(46. 7%). Drivers mainly suffered from compound fracture type -23 (59.0%). One hundred eighty-two (43.3%) of fracture patients had a visceral injury. Homeless persons who sit or sleep on the roadside had a higher risk of thoracic visceral injury compared to traveler pedestrians (AOR = 4.600(95%CI: 1.215-17.417)); P = 0.025. Visceral injury, simple and compound fractures were the common orthopedic injury types reported among crash victims. Males, pedestrians, and young age groups were largely affected by orthopedic fracture cases. Homeless persons who sited or slept on the roadside were significant factors for visceral injury. Therefore, preventing a harmful crash and growing fracture care should be considered to reduce the burden of crash fracture.

Pattern of injuries due to wild animal attack among patients presenting to the emergency department: A retrospective observational study

PurposeThe human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs) causing nuisances and injuries are becoming a growing public health concern over recent years worldwide. We aimed to study the demographic profile, mode of injury, pattern of injury, and outcome of wild animal attack victims presented to the emergency department. MethodsThis retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary-care hospital in Eastern India. Data were retrieved from the medical records from May 2017 to May 2021. Patients of all ages and genders attacked by wild animals and secondary injuries were included in this study. Patients with incomplete data, injuries due to the attack of stray and domestic animals and trauma due to other causes were excluded. Demographic profile, mode of injury, the pattern of injury, injury severity score (ISS), radiological pattern, and outcome were recorded. Statistical analysis with R (version 3.6.1.) was conducted. ResultsA total of 411 wild animal attack victims were studied, of which 374 (90.9%) were snakebite injuries and 37 (9.1%) were wild mammalian (WM) attack injuries. The mean age of WM attack victims was 46 years, and the male-to-female ratio was 4:1. Elephant attack injury (40.5%) was the most common WM attack injury reported. Most WM attacks (43.2%) occurred between 4:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. The median ISS was 18.5 (13–28), where 54.2% of patients had polytrauma (ISS>15). Elephant attack was associated with a higher ISS, but the difference was not significant compared to other animal types (p = 0.2). Blunt trauma was common pattern of injury in the elephant attack injury cases. Lacerations and soft tissue injuries were common patterns in other animal attacks. Among snakebites, neurotoxic was the most common type (55.4%), and lower extremity was the most common site involved. ConclusionThe young male population is the major victim of HWCs; and elephant is the most common animal involved. There is a need to design scientifically sound preventive strategies for HWCs and to strengthen the preparedness in health establishments to manage victims effectively.

Benzopyrazine-Based Small Molecule Inhibitors As Trypanocidal and Leishmanicidal Agents: Green Synthesis, In Vitro, and In Silico Evaluations.

World Health Organization (WHO) identified twenty tropical disease categories as neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)1. Chagas’ disease (also known as American trypanosomiasis) and leishmaniasis are two major classes of NTDs. The total number of mortality, morbidity, and disability attributed each year due to these two categories of diseases in magnitudes is much higher than the so-called elite diseases like cancer, diabetes, AIDS, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Impoverished communities around the world are the major victim of NTDs. The development of new and novel drugs in the battle against Chagas’ disease and leishmaniasis is highly anticipated. An easy and straightforward on-water green access to synthesize benzopyrazines is reported. This ultrasound-assisted procedure does not require any catalyst/support/additive/hazardous solvents and maintains a high atom economy. A series of eleven benzopyrazines has been synthesized, and most of the synthesized compounds possess the drug-likeness following Lipinski’s “Rule of 5”. Benzopyrazines 3 and 4 demonstrated moderate leishmanicidal activity against L. mexicana (M378) strain. The selective lead compound 1 showed good leishmanicidal, and trypanocidal activities (in vitro) against both L. mexicana (M378) and T. cruzi (NINOA) strains compared to the standard controls. The in vitro trypanocidal and leishmanicidal activities of the lead compound 1 have been validated by molecular docking studies against four biomolecular drug targets viz. T. cruzi histidyl-tRNA synthetase, T. cruzi trans-sialidase, leishmanial rRNA A-site, and leishmania major N-myristoyl transferase.

Factors Influencing Marriege instabilities in Kisarawe district, Coastal Region, Tanzania

This study examined the factors infl uencing marriage instability in Kisarawe District. Th e data was collected from a sample of 270 women from unstable marriages. Th e primary data was collected by using a structured questionnaire. Th e results of the study indicated that mothers and children were the major victims of unstable marriages in the district. Th e children of unstable marriages are deprived of basic social services such as education and health services. Moreover, there was a strong association between frequency of remarriages with age and education. It was also found that poverty, education and culture like religion were the major causes of marriage instability in the district. Besides this there were many intervention measures applied to solve some of the problems related to marriage instabilities. Th ese include community participation in caring deprived mothers and children. It is recommended that the marriage law of 1971 should be reviewed in order to reduce marriage instabilities which lead to poor child care.

IOT BASED APPROACH FOR REMOTELY MONITORING AND ALARMING A DROWSY DRIVER

There are a lot of road accidents that occur due to drowsy driving. Drowsy driving is when the driver of a vehicle is found to be sleepy and probable to get into a car crash because of the same. Being drowsy might cause the driver to lose concentration from the road, and also reduce the reaction time. Statistics suggest how thousands of deaths and crashes happen every year due to it. Major victims of such crashes tend to be the commercial drivers who need to drive long distances overnight. Our project intends to propose a solution to this problem by providing an Internet of Things based approach. This approach monitors the driver’s face while he or she is driving the vehicle and in case if the driver is to be found falling asleep, an instant voice call is made to the driver’s registered phone number. Additionally, a text message is also sent to the driver’s emergency contact which will get him/her notified and provide the driver with quick assistance if needed. This approach is unique and different in its own way as it provides cross platform support and remote monitoring of the driver. Additionally, it also makes drowsy-detection ‘device independent’. It offers a simplified mechanism to derive real time accurate results and readings with reduced complexities. This project does have a lot of scope, especially considering that there is a lack of methodologies currently being implemented to prevent road accidents due to drowsy driving. KEYWORDS- Drowsy Driving, Monitoring, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, Remote, Algorithm, Eye Aspect Ratio, Python.

Pattern of trauma admission and outcome among patients presented to Jimma University Specialized Hospital, south-western Ethiopia

BackgroundTrauma is an ever evolving world problem that needs close attention and devising means to prevent and treat. The aim of the study is to identify the main reason for...

COVID-19 pandemic digitization lessons for sustainable development of micro-and small- enterprises.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has undeniably influenced the global economy and environment. Major victims of the COVID-19 outbreak are Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs), especially in developing countries, mainly because of limited use of digital technologies. This paper employs a literature review and personal insights to provide COVID-19 pandemic digitization lessons for sustainable development of MSEs from a technology for social good perspective. We develop a framework to support post COVID-19 digital transformation for sustainable development of MSEs. We find that digital payments, especially mobile money, should be a critical digital transformation priority for MSEs. Also, institutions must support MSE resources and capabilities to adopt digital transformation for business continuity, and sustainable production and consumption. Our study suggests that MSE managers and other stakeholders rethink their business strategies, incorporating crisis scenarios and business continuity plans to sustain customers virtually to enhance sustainable development. We also propose further research areas to improve the successful digital transformation of MSEs post COVID-19.

An Epidemiological Study on Road Traffic Accidents at a Tertiary Care Hospital of Eastern India

Introduction: Accidents and injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality. According to the World Health Organization, 1.35 million deaths occurred due to road traffic accident (RTA) globally in every year. In India, fatality rate of road accidents is twenty times higher than developed countries. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the epidemiological factors responsible for RTA and to know the pattern of accidents. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among RTA victims admitted at a tertiary care hospital of Odisha from August to November 2019. The data were collected by using predesigned and pretested interview schedule and analyzed with the help of SPSS 20. Results: Out of 147 accident victims, 81% were male; mean age was 36.6 ± 13.67 years. Maximum accidents (43.5%) had taken place between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. Bike-riders (81.6%) were the major victim involved in accidents followed by pedestrian (9.5%) and cyclist (8.9%). Among bike riders, 44.16% did not wear helmet during accident and 3.33% did not have a valid driving license. About 25.2% were due to alcohol intake. Unusual behavior of animals and defective road contributed around 10.2% and 16.90%, respectively. Among injuries, the most common was laceration (38.1%) followed by abrasion (22.4%). Fracture was found in 7.5% cases. Most common sites involved were head, face, upper limb, and lower limb. Conclusion: Public awareness should be initiated regarding various factors associated with RTA and measures to prevent accidents.

Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) Traceable to Household Fuel Consumption and its Impact on Health

Energy is an essential and obligatory prerequisite of life. Indoor air pollution is one of the biggest environmental problems in the world being specifically concentrated in resource limited settings. Inspite of the availability of cleaner fuel technologies, people in resource limited setting still depend on traditional fuel to meet their basic needs resulting even in premature deaths. In Nepal people in rural areas are the pre-dominant users of biomass fuel, there is limited research focusing on rural areas particularly; women as they spend most of their time in kitchen. Reports were extensively searched for literature using preset keywords in English language peer-reviewed journals databases PubMed and Google Scholar published between the years 2005 to 2020. Citation details were examined, titles and abstracts screened for eligibility and if relevant, full text was also reviewed in greater detail. Findings were then presented primarily under two bold themes: Household fuel consumption: existing theories and evidence; and health impact of indoor air pollution. Several health effects were reported of indoor air pollution including respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, endocrine system disruption and pregnancy complications. These exposures almost double the health risks predominantly among children and women of rural communities as they are directly involved in household activities causing air pollution. Based on our review of evidence, women and children of rural households were the major victims. Further, determinants of household fuel consumption and health effects should be considered while formulating policies in regard to promoting accessibility of clean fuels and reducing household air pollutants.

A Five-Year Trend of Intestinal Parasite Prevalence among Students Attending Clinic at University of Gondar, Northwest Ethiopia.

Background Intestinal parasitic infections are the cause of the highest worldwide infectious disease and the major public health problems in developing countries. Among the cases, children and younger age are at high risk and the major victims. The aim of this study was to assess the five-year trend of intestinal parasite prevalence among University of Gondar students. Method A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted to assess the trend of intestinal parasite prevalence among students at the University of Gondar. The data was collected from students who have studied at the University of Gondar from 2014 to 2018 and who visited the student's clinic and had recorded results of stool sample diagnosis on the laboratory logbook. Stool specimens were examined using direct saline wet mount methods. The data was analyzed by using SPSS version 20 software, and P value < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Moreover, chi-square was used to assess the association of different variables. Result During the study period, a total of 6244 stool samples were requested for intestinal parasite diagnosis and it was found that 2850 specimens were positive for intestinal parasites, representing an overall prevalence of 45.6% with a fluctuating trend. Ten different parasites were reported with Entamoeba histolytica/dispar (20.3%) and Giardia lamblia (8.2%), the most frequently detected intestinal parasites. The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections was higher in males (35.4%) than females (10.2%) (P = 0.02). Conclusions Intestinal parasitic infection was highly prevalent, and there were fluctuations in the prevalence of intestinal parasites from 2014 to 2018. Environmental sanitation improvement and health education schemes at the University of Gondar can be considered quite indispensable for the prevention and control of parasitic infections in the area.

Spatio-temporal trends in the flow and water quality: response of river Yamuna to urbanization.

Urban rivers are major victims of pollution and the river Yamuna is a notable example. Effective human intervention requires an understanding of the water quality response of rivers to urbanization. To this end, the time-series data from the Central Water Commission (CWC) and the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) was analyzed. The dataset included 44 parameters for twelve stations on Yamuna mainstream from 1978 to 2015. Statistical tests for analysis of trends revealed decreasing monsoon flows over the past decades. Furthermore, increasing non-monsoon flows from Delhi to Agra was indicative of a significant contribution from wastewater discharge to the river. Groundwater parameters such as electrical conductivity, hardness, and sodium content were found to increase in the river over the years. This suggests the use of groundwater that gets converted into domestic wastewater flowing in surface drains discharging into the river resulting in the deterioration of water quality of river Yamuna. Dissolved oxygen (DO) and ammonical nitrogen values from Delhi to Agra stretch do not support indigenous aquatic life. A positive correlation between total and fecal coliform in this river stretch indicates the dominance of domestic sewage. The expected significant correlation between DO and biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) was not observed throughout the river stretch. High values of DO reported by CPCB indicate the presence of photosynthetic activity in the river; hence diurnal DO measurement is suggested for validation. For the rejuvenation of river Yamuna, the focus of treatment should be shifted to coliform, DO, chemical oxygen demand, and nutrients. The present study analyzed the response of the riverine ecosystem to altered flow regimes and changes in river water quality, and the findings can serve as a basis for decision-makers engaged in river restoration and conservation efforts.

Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) in Azerbaijan

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the economy of Azerbaijan. Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) are one of the major victims of COVID-19. The aim of this article was to assess the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs) operating in Azerbaijan and provide policy recommendations for policymakers to help SMEs impacted by the pandemic to survive and thrive through COVID- 19. Quantitative research method was deployed in this study with an online questionnaire for collecting data from SMEs operating in different regions and cities of Azerbaijan. The collected data was analyzed through descriptive statistics analysis approach. The results of the study indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic has massively affected small and medium enterprises. Approximately 92.96% of the enterprises participating in the research study showed that CO- VID-19 has either extremely negatively or negatively impacted the businesses operations. The results of the survey also showed that the tourism (26.60%), restaurant and cafe (22.10%) and education sector (13.60%) are among the most negatively affected by COVID-19 pandemic while pharmacies (0.2%), insurance (0.8%) and agriculture (1.2%) are among the least affected by the pandemic. Various policy recommendations were suggested for policymakers to ease the burden on SMEs, based on the research findings.

The Pattern of Injuries Among Motorcyclists in Fatal Road Traffic Accidents: An Autopsy-Based Study.

In recent years, there has been a significant increase in mortality among motorcyclists, which warrants a need to analyze the epidemiology and pattern of injuries among road users in Malaysia. Hence, prioritizing road safety in the government policy by implementing targeted actions is justified to reduce injury and fatality. Cases of road accident deaths in motorcyclists received by UKM Medical Centre were studied over a period of 10 years, that is, between 2010 and 2019. This study was based on forensic autopsy records database and forensic autopsy. The most affected age group by road fatalities were young men. The most common injuries were intracranial hemorrhage (74%), thoracic hemorrhage (73%), and lung laceration (85.7%). About 39 (31%) fatally injured riders were positive for illicit drug and/or alcohol. This study showed that men in the third decade of life are the major victims of motorcycle fatalities. Hence, urgent measures are necessary to establish road safety policy to reduce such fatalities.

Pattern of fatal road traffic accidents in a tertiary care hospital-a medico legal analysis

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are a major public health concern causing thousands of injuries and premature deaths each year. The purpose of this study to find out the fatal injuries and correlation of injuries with different epidemiological parameters and to find out the measures for the prevention of their causative factors. The present study was conducted on dead bodies sent for post mortem examination involved in road traffic accidents at mortuary of Nizamabad, Govt. Medical College Hospital (Telangana State) during period from January 2017 to December 2018. During the study period out of 1180 of post mortem examinations 208 (17.62 %) were due to RTA. Our study shows that among these 179 (86.05%) victims were males and 29 (13.95%) were females, major victims involved were Pedestrians 64 (30.76%) followed by occupants of four wheelers 63(30.30%) and motor cyclists 54(25.96%). Maximum victims were died due to head injury 103(49.51%) followed by multiple injuries, chest and abdomen injuries.

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on micro, small, and medium-sized Enterprises operating in Pakistan

The outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has severely affected the global and Pakistani economy. Major victims of the COVID-19 outbreak are micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This article aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on these businesses and provide policy recommendations to help MSMEs in reducing business losses and survive through the crisis. We adopted an exploratory methodology with comprehensively reviewing the available literature, including policy documents, research papers, and reports in the relevant field. Further, to add empirical evidence, we collected data from 184 Pakistani MSMEs by administering an online questionnaire. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics. The results indicate that most of the participating enterprises have been severely affected and they are facing several issues such as financial, supply chain disruption, decrease in demand, reduction in sales and profit, among others. Besides, over 83% of enterprises were neither prepared nor have any plan to handle such a situation. Further, more than two-thirds of participating enterprises reported that they could not survive if the lockdown lasts more than two months. The findings of our study are consistent with previous studies. Based on the results of the research, different policy recommendations were proposed to ease the adverse effects of the outbreak on MSMEs. Although our suggested policy recommendations may not be sufficient to help MSMEs go through the ongoing crisis, these measures will help them weather the storm.

Unnatural Female Deaths within Seven Years of Marital Life:An Autopsy based Study

Unnatural female deaths pose a major challenge for society. The study was conducted on 644 unnatural female deaths during the calendar years from 2008 to 2012, in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Andhra Medical College. Women less than 29 years of age group, in the first three years of their marital life were the major victims in our study. Improving women literacy may give employment and there by economical independency of women.

A Five Year Retrospective Study of Female Sexual Assault in Qaluybia Governorate, Egypt

Sexual assault has serious effects on the society and on victim's health. To the best of our knowledge there was no sufficient statistical data collected about female sexual assaults from 2014 to 2018 in Qalyubia Governorate, Egypt, which prompted us to carry out this study. This study based on collection and analyze of retrospective from 2014 to 2018 from the archives of Qalyubia Medico-legal Department, Ministry of Justice, Egypt, with respect to demographics features, number of assailants, relationship between victim and perpetrator, time of reporting, pattern of physical and genital injuries. The total number of sexual assault cases was 145; most cases (49 %) were between 12-18 years come from the urban areas (70.3%). Unmarried cases constituted 90.3% and 94.5% of cases were with normal mentality. Assaults occurred mostly in the spring (44.14%). Most of the assailants were extrafamilial and unknown to the victims (70.34%). Most cases committed in the assailant's home 46.21% and a single assailant was the perpetrator of 81.4% of the cases. Complete vaginal penetration was the most frequent type of assault (44.1%). The most common type of non-genital injury was abrasion (49.5%), the highest percentage of genital injury was lacerations (39.8%), and the most common site was the hymen (35.3%). Most cases (65.5%) examined after the first month of assault. unmarried females under the age of 18years with normal mentality from urban areas constituted the major victims of sexual assault, committed mostly in the assailant's home and done by one perpetrator who was mostly unknown to the victim. Most cases were examined after the first month of assault. Abrasion was the most common type of non-genital injury and complete vaginal penetration with hymen laceration was the most frequent type of genital injury.