Worst Hit Research Articles

Hydraulic conductivity predictive model of RHA-ameliorated laterite for solving landfill liner leachate, soil and water contamination and carbon emission problems

AbstractThe environment is seriously being affected by the leachate release at the unconstructed and badly constructed waste containment or landfill facilities around the globe. The worst hit is the developing world where there is little or totally no waste management system and facilities to receive waste released into the atmosphere. This research work is focused on the leachate drain into the soil and the underground water from landfills, which toxicifies both the soil and the water. Also, the construction of the liner or barrier with cement poses serious threat to the environment due to oxides of carbon release and this research also took this into account by replacing the utilization of cement with rice husk ash (RHA), which has proven to have the potentials of replacing cement as a supplementary binder. Laboratory tests were conducted to determine the hydraulic conductivity (K) of lateritic soil (LS) ameliorated with different dosages of RHA. Other hydromechanical properties of the treated blend were studied and multiple data were generated for the artificial neural network (ANN) back-propagation (-BP), genetic algorithm (GA) and gradual reducing gradient (GRG), genetic programming (GP) and evolutionary polynomial regression (EPR) prediction exercises. Results show that the LS was a poorly graded A-2 sandy silt soil, which was subjected to three different compaction energies with the minimum of the British standard light (BSL) and derived k of 6.95E-10, 50.75E-10 and 32.33E-10 for BSL, west African standard and British standard heavy, respectively. The RHA addition improved the studied properties of the ameliorated LS. Out of the five models, the ANN-GRG outclassed others with a performance of 99% with minimal error compared with the rest. Potentially, this research has shown that RHA with a pozzolanic chemical moduli of 81.47% can replace cement in the construction of ecofriendly and more efficient landfills and waste containemnt barriers to save the soil and the underground water as well as the environment from leachate contamination and carbon emissions.

Emergence of mucormycosis following second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and possible risk factors in a hilly state of North India

Background: Mucormycosis is a rare, highly aggressive fungal infection affecting the rhino-orbital, respiratory, gastrointestinal or cutaneous systems and is caused by a group of moulds called mucoromycetes belonging to order Mucorales and has been associated with corona pandemic. The aim of the study was to assess the emerging trends of mucormycosis following second wave of Corona pandemic and possible risk factors in a hilly state of North India.Methods: It was a retrospective data analysis study where the information’s were gathered from various sources in state of Himachal Pradesh. After detection of 1st case, data was collected from May 2021 to July 2021. Since objective and authentic data was released by different agencies daily, so the state profile of mucormycosis cases was taken as per information available from newspapers, various state websites and analysed for various parameters.Results: The current study conducted in state of Himachal Pradesh showed that Hamirpur was the worst hit district with affected population 0.002%, with case fatality rate 57%. While male mortality was more (60%) as compared to female mortality (40%).Conclusions: This study showed that underlying risk factors for mucormycosis were COVID-19 infection, un-controlled diabetes, steroid and oxygen use.

South Africa’s old hand at a new pandemic: politics dictates the quality of response

ABSTRACT South Africa has been the worst hit by Covid-19 on the African continent and is experiencing devastating consequences. The goal of this study is to look at the role of underlying socio-economic factors and the quality of government policy responses in mitigating the impact of Covid-19 in South Africa against the backdrop of a multi-decade HIV epidemic. In the first phase of our analysis, we look at South Africa’s HIV experience. This analysis, using national level yearly data, shows that government capability plays an important role in mitigating the socio-economic consequences of the HIV epidemic. In the second phase of our analysis, we test whether a similar pattern, regarding the role of government capacity in containing the impact of Covid-19, holds true at the subnational level. The results show that rather than the level of income and wealth being the most decisive factors, the ability of the government to mobilize and influence the population’s behavior is key to mitigating the impact of Covid-19 pandemic. With the arrival of several vaccines around the globe, these findings regarding the centrality of government capacity at the national as well as the subnational level have important implications for addressing the Covid-19 pandemic and future disasters.

"An antibiotic turned contraceptive": The tale of ampicillin-cloxacillin.

Antibiotic misuse is a major public health threat globally, requiring active efforts toward halting its progression. The African sub‐region is worst hit by communicable diseases, and also possesses weak health systems to effectively combat the menace of antimicrobial resistance. Meanwhile, antibiotics are among the most regularly misused medicines in Nigeria, particularly for inappropriate indication and duration. This is seen in its use as a contraceptive by young women in the country. This paper evaluates the reliance and use of an antibiotic for contraception, a practice that has continuously being a large source of antibiotic misuse in Nigeria. Its causes and effects are also evaluated in this commentary. To effectively combat the increasing antimicrobial misuse, correct use of antibiotics for their appropriate indications is highly essential. Adequate knowledge of contraception should be ensured among young women in developing countries, particularly in Nigeria.

Time Use of Youth during a Pandemic: Evidence from Mexico.

Studying how the pandemic affects the education and work of adolescents is a critical question with long lasting implications for well-being of the next generation, particularly in the developing world. The Covid-19 pandemic by mid-March 2020 had led to the closing of most educational institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the region has been one of the worst hit by the pandemic (Sanmarchi et al. 2021). This paper uses the Mexican National Occupation and Employment Survey (ENOE) to provide initial evidence on the pandemic's effects on school and work of youth. We measure changes in the time use of adolescents comparing patterns just before the pandemic (January to March 2020) with those at the beginning of the following school year (September 2020), controlling for pre pandemic trends and potential seasonality. Our study finds a sharp reduction in the probability of being engaged in studies during the previous week for youth age 12 to 18 during the pandemic, as well as a reduction of about 30 percent in total hours spent on studies for those who report spending at least one hour on studies in the previous week. Time in work in general shows fewer changes than in time dedicated to studies, with some reductions in the probability of working outside the home for older youth, and a small increase in the number of hours dedicated to work inside the household. Our results overall are suggestive of an important decrease in youth who are engaged with school, who may be at particular risk for abandoning school permanently. It also suggests that even for those who remain engaged, there is a reduction on time spent studying likely to lead to a decrease in learning. Policies to combat potential dropout and negative effects on learning of the pandemic are urgently needed.

Ophthalmological practices in COVID pandemic during first and second wave: Learnings and new beginnings

Purpose: TO study the impact of covid 19 in a tertiary eye care hospital.Study type: single centre retrospective observational study.Method: Novel corona virus “COVID-19” is now an established global Pandemic. Index case of Novel Corona virus “COVID-19” virus was first reported from Wuhan, People's Republic of China on 31 December 2019. Bihar with a population of 120 million is one of the most densely populated and least developed states in India. With 1 doctor/29,000 persons and1 hospital bed/8,645 people, it was expected to be one of the worst hit state in COVID-19 pandemic. All patient visiting an ophthalmologist were seen with full precaution and with a practical Standard Operating Protocol (SOP), advised by World Health Organization (WHO), Centre for disease control (CDC), MOHFW, American Academy Of Ophthalmology(AAO) and All India Ophthalmological Society(AIOS). Patient visiting and treatment protocol followed in a tertiary care hospital were analysed.Results: 3617(2432 males ,1185 females) new patients and 3145(2149 males, 996 females) old/follow up patients visited RIO OPD from lockdown (25 march 2020) till unlock 4(30 September, 2020) which is about 85.41% decrement in comparison to last year in same period 21747(13335 males, 8412 females) new patients and 24610(15508 males, 9102 females).Conclusion: Proper use of n95 masks, gloves, caps, face shield, PPE kit while examining patients and operating them were few important precautions. Regular use of sanitizer, hand washing, minimizing patient doctor contact time, minimal hospital stays, use of artificial intelligence are few other ways practiced to prevent exposure to COVID 19. This pandemic has taught us a lot about people unity cooperation, what is important in life, ophthalmologically tele-ophthalmology will play a big role in future an evident in this pandemic.

Identification of hematological and inflammatory parameters associated with disease severity in hospitalized patients of COVID-19.

Background and Objectives:India has emerged as the second worst hit nation by the Coronavirus pandemic in terms of total number of cases. Our data on hematological and inflammatory markers associated with COVID-19 is very limited. This study was conducted to assess the utility of various biomarkers in identifying severe disease.Materials and Methods:All confirmed cases of COVID-19 admitted in our tertiary care centre from 1st March 2021 to 31st March 2021 were enrolled in the study. They were categorized into severe and non-severe disease categories based on pre-decided criteria. Their complete blood count parameters, D-dimer levels, serum C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin and Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) values were retrieved.Statistical Analysis:All parameters were expressed as Mean ± Standard deviation for the two groups of patients. Student's t-test was used to test significance of the above markers between severe and non- severe disease. (P value < 0.05 was taken as statistically significant).Results:A total of 150 COVID RT-PCR positive patients were evaluated. The patients with higher Absolute Neutrophil Count (ANC), Neutrophil to lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), Platelet to lymphocyte ratio (PLR), D-dimer levels and raised serum CRP, LDH, ferritin along with lymphocytopenia were associated with severe disease (P < 0.05). Hemoglobin, total leucocyte count and platelet count showed no correlation with disease severity.Conclusion:These biomarkers associated with disease severity especially NLR, PLR, D-dimer and serum CRP levels could be used to triage patients at the time of admission thereby identifying those requiring intensive care and enabling optimal resource utilization.

Defining Antibody Seroprevalence and Duration of Humoral Responses to SARS-CoV-2 Infection and/or Vaccination in a Greek Community

Background: In this work, we aimed to evaluate antibody-response longevity to SARS-CoV-2 infection and/or vaccination in one of the Greek communities that was worst hit by the pandemic, Deskati, five months after a previous serosurveillance and nine months after the pandemic wave initiation (October 2020). Methods: The SARS-CoV-2 IgG II Quant method (Architect, Abbott, IL, USA) was used for antibody testing. Results: A total of 69 subjects, who previously tested positive or negative for COVID-19 antibodies, participated in the study. We found that 48% of participants turned positive due to vaccination. 27% of participants were both previously infected and vaccinated. However, all previously infected participants retained antibodies to the virus, irrespective of their vaccination status. The antibody titers were significantly higher in previously infected participants that had been vaccinated than those who were unvaccinated and in those that had been previously hospitalized for COVID-19 than those with mild disease. Conclusions: Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection were maintained nine months after the pandemic. Vaccination alone had generated an immune response in almost half of the population. Higher antibody titers were found in the case of vaccination in previously infected subjects and especially in those with severe disease leading to hospitalization.

POVERTY REDUCTION, INSTITUTIONS AND THE NIGERIAN ECONOMY

The prime goal of the United Nations is to reduce poverty to the barest minimum in all economies of the world. Africa seem to be worst hit by poverty. Nigeria, has also experienced the consequences of poverty in the forms of kidnapping for money, extortion and so on. Although Nigeria has recorded growth in the economy over time, such growth has not succeeded in transforming the economy. This study therefore sets out to examine the relationship between poverty reduction and economic growth through the channel of institutional quality. Trickle-down theory formed the basis for the study which covered the period 1990-2019. Correlation analysis, Granger-causality as well as the Autoregressive Distributed Lag model were used. The study found that an inverse but weak relationship exists between poverty reduction and economic growth. Also, a unidirectional flow exists from voice and accountability (an indicator of institutional quality) to poverty reduction. Moreover, the study found a strong but negative influence of the rule of law on poverty reduction. Therefore, enforcement of law and order is crucial to poverty reduction in Nigeria. In addition, government expenditure on health has had positive impact on poverty reduction, while government expenditure on education has had negative impact on poverty reduction. Hence, government investment in providing more health facilities will help to reduce poverty in Nigeria. However, government should reconsider public spending on education in Nigeria. Government intervention in education should be limited to regulation and the provision of those educational facilities that face the free-rider problem.

Resilience against the COVID-19 pandemic: is the hotel and tourism supply chain on the right path?

PurposeThe hotel and tourism industry forms a crucial economic sector for all the economies around the world. However, it suffered the worst hit during the COVID-19 outbreak. Considering the hotel and tourism sector's critical situation, this manuscript aims to emphasise the importance of resilience in the hotel and tourism supply chain (HTSC) and explores the crucial barriers that tend to disturb the inculcation of stability in the hotel and tourism sector. The present research analyses the factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience and also takes into consideration the various critical success factors (CSFs) needed to build a resilient HTSC.Design/methodology/approachA two-phase research approach has been proposed and used in this study. In the first phase, eight CSFs and sixteen factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified. The basis of the identification of the CSFs and factors was literature and inputs received from experts. In the second phase, the grey-Entropy-EDAS, a qualitative and quantitative analysis, was used to analyse the identified CSFs and factors to determine the priority of concern.FindingsIn this research, the most imperative facet influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience has been identified, and the findings will assist hotel and tourism sector in managing and mitigating the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis of the results indicates that out of all the critical success factors, supply chain visibility is the most crucial aspect in building HTSC's resilience, whereas economic catastrophe is the most influential factor. Sensitivity analysis is also conducted to examine the priority ranking stability.Practical implicationsThe results of this study can be used by the hotel supply chain managers and policymakers to plan for various challenges faced by them as they try to implement resilience-based strategies in their supply chain.Originality/valueThis research is unique as it analyses the general factors hindering the pathway of resilience in the hotel and tourism supply chain. This is also the first kind of study that has used grey-Entropy to analyse the critical success factors and grey-EDAS for analysing the impact of various factors influencing the hotel and tourism sector's resilience.

COVID-19 in Hemodialysis Patients: Experience from a Western Indian Center.

Introduction:Chronic kidney disease patients on hemodialysis (CKD-5D) are among the worst hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Need to travel for dialysis, comorbidities, and immunosuppressive state put them at risk of severe disease and poor outcomes. We report our experience of COVID-19 in a cohort of CKD-5D from a public sector tertiary-care center from western India.Material and Methods:We retrospectively analyzed the records of 58 CKD-5D patients with confirmed COVID-19 admitted to our COVID-19 hospital. Suspected COVID-19, acute kidney injury (AKI), or AKI on CKD were excluded. We studied the clinical, demographic, radiological, and laboratory profiles; treatment; and outcomes of the patients. We assessed the potential clinical and laboratory parameters to predict mortality.Results:The mean age of the patients was 48.7 ± 16.9 years, with 55% males. Comorbidities included hypertension (65%), diabetes (19%), and cardiovascular disease (15.5%). The presenting features included fever (69%), respiratory distress (50%), upper respiratory symptoms (36%), and diarrhea (13%). Five (8.6%) were asymptomatic. Bilateral infiltrates on chest imaging were the commonest radiological pattern. The patients were managed with oxygenation, hydroxychloroquine, steroids, anticoagulation, remdesivir, and favipiravir. Twenty-two (37.9%) patients died, predominantly due to respiratory failure. Disease severity and C-reactive protein (CRP) above 175 mg/L at admission were the only parameters predictive of mortality.Conclusion:CKD-5D patients with COVID-19 were less likely to present with the classical syndrome of fever and respiratory distress compared with reports from the general population and had higher mortality. Only disease severity and high CRP (>175 mg/L) were predictive of mortality in our cohort.

Efectos del Covid-19 en el sector emprendedor costarricense / Effects of Covid-19 in the Costa Rican entrepreneurial sector

This study seeks to investigate the impact, responses and demands for support, in the face of the crisis caused by Covid 19, by entrepreneurs and organizations in the economic sectors, as well as the strategies considered to have the greatest impact on their business and that could consider necessary. The study took information from a survey that obtained a total of 138 responses, mainly located in the province of San José (50%), more than half (84.7%) include micro and small businesses and a (9, 3%) medium and large companies mostly located in a development stage in which the company achieves a degree of positioning in the market that guarantees its sustainability over time, the rest are located in the beginning and maturity stages mostly, they cover a wide range of sectors of activity. The largest number of participating entrepreneurs was found in the age range of 30 to 40 years (38%). Thus, it is found that the direct and indirect effects of covid 19 in the entrepreneurial sector of various sectors of the Costa Rican economy caused (55.7%) cuts in working hours as a practice in their businesses to face the crisis and a decrease in (67%) in the price of their products or services, experiencing a transformation in the management of business models that until before this date were usual. It is evident that the effects of the pandemic caused by COVID-19 had a strong impact on the Costa Rican productive sector, and the need for support from the businesspersons who have been affected is evident. Furthermore, for a country of 5.5 million inhabitants, the pandemic leaves more than 400 thousand people unemployed (16.4% + 11.1% underemployed), that is, 92 thousand more than before COVID 19. The worst hit groups are those of women and youth, leading them and the other unemployed to migrate to informality. 1,455 micro (1-5 employees), small (6-30 employees) and medium (31-100) closed. These companies have little chance of reopening, having to increase the figures of informality and in many cases, 2% of GDP in smuggling and illicit trade. The Costa Rican government must work to support new ventures that allow the insertion of new businesses in the formal sector, leading innovation, and competitive proposals to face new challenges. Access to soft loans, improvements in social security rates and differentiated fees for taxation should be part of the solutions. In addition, ensure that the minimum contributory rate of social security is modified for the payment for part-time work, so that the same companies hire personnel based on the hours worked and not for a single rate. It should be considered that Costa Rica is already part of the OCDE and that is going through a historic electoral process (26 presidential candidates), to put this problem in the sights of the candidates. The joint work between private sector, government, financial and educational institutions is a must. Costa Rica is walking at the edge of falling into an economic default and helping these initiatives could be a magic recipe for the economy.

The Great Resignation: stopping the 'bleed'

As hospitality businesses open up ‘post-pandemic’, the unavailability of qualified staff has become one of the biggest obstacles to businesses’ ability to take maximum advantage of the pent-up desire and need for travel.&#x0D; A study published by McKinsey in September 2021 under the headline “Great attrition or great attraction? The choice is yours”1 verbalised and quantified for the first time something that the hospitality industry around the globe is experiencing as businesses start their return to the ‘next normal’. The article explained in detail a mindset that has become commonplace both for employers and employees, and that will be troubling the industry for a while if not properly addressed.&#x0D; When Covid first brought the world to a standstill, the hospitality industry was one of the first and worst hit. Business came to a halt; many hotels and restaurants closed or decreased staffing levels as much as possible in order to cut expenses. In the developed world, this was done with the help of government programmes so that employees could access some kind of safety net. In developing countries, these safety nets often did not/do not exist. Many employers were ruthless, simply telling staff that they were no longer needed. ‘Thanks’ to many governments calling Covid-19 a “force majeure”, employers got around paying legally required compensation for terminating employees at short notice. Many of our colleagues, expatriate and local, found themselves literally ‘on the street’ within weeks of the pandemic ravaging the industry.&#x0D; Employers’ social responsibility to the communities in which they do business was one of the first victims of the pandemic. The understanding that “our staff is our most valuable asset” turned into pure semantics.&#x0D; Today, as these businesses celebrate that they are opening again, there is a surprising level of surprise among the most callous of employers that now they can’t find staff. The industry will have to come up with new ways of working if they want to attract colleagues back – the loss of trust and goodwill will have serious repercussions. To ‘make good’ on their actions, employers need to first understand how much they broke – initial observations show that they have not even started to understand what they did.&#x0D; What about people still employed? Shouldn’t they be lucky to still have a job? In the McKinsey study, 40% of participants who were still employed answered that they were at least somewhat likely to leave their job in the next 3–6 months; 64% of these claimed that they are planning to leave without a new job lined up.&#x0D; At the core of this is, I believe (and the study suggests), is a general disconnect between what employees are looking for and what employers think that employees are looking for. The pandemic has sent many of us into a survival mode, forcing actions that were purely transactional. Yet the hospitality industry, at its core, depends on people who care for others. Employers need to ask employees questions that show they care and rebuild the trust that has been lost due to their actions when the pandemic hit.&#x0D; As a member of a Vietnamese investment group that did exactly the opposite, that held on to employees at substantial cost to the enterprise and with employees at all levels ‘chipping in’ through unpaid leave to help keep everyone employed, I know first-hand that this has built a substantial amount of trust and our levels of attrition are substantially below the market average as other businesses reopen. Asking the right questions, listening to the answers and consistently responding with empathy and tangible action, not words, will be key to our success.&#x0D; Corresponding author&#x0D; Oliver Horn can be contacted at: Oliver.Horn@ihg.com&#x0D; Note&#x0D; &#x0D; McKinsey &amp; Company, September 8, 2021, study conducted with 4,294 participants in the US, UK, Australia, Singapore and Canada. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/great-attrition-or-great-attraction-the-choice-is-yours&#x0D;

The explosive basaltic Katla eruptionin 1918, south Iceland, I: Course of events, tephra fall and flood routes

The 23-day long eruption of the ice-covered Katla volcano in 1918 began on October 12 and was over by November 4. Seismicity preceding and accompanying the onset had already started by 11:30 on October 12, while the eruption broke through the glacier around 3 PM. The plume rose to 14–15 km on the first day. The eruption caused widespread tephra fall, accompanied by lightning and thunder. Tephra fall from the intense first phase (October 12–14) was reported from Höfn, 200 km east of Katla, Reykjavík, 150 km to the west and Akureyri, 240 km to the north. The initial phase was followed by more sporadic activity for a week, and a second intense phase (October 22–24), with heavy tephra fall in populated areas east and south of the volcano. Skaftártunga (25–35 km east of Katla), was the worst hit farming district, with reported tephra thickness of 6.5–10 cm in total, collecting into drifts tens of cm thick. The Vík village suffered almost continuous tephra fall for 13 hours on October 24 and 25, leaving a 2 to 4 cm thick tephra layer on the ground. Tephra reached Reykjavík four times but minor tephra fallout («1 mm) occurred. Tephra also reached northern, western and eastern Iceland. In addition to producing the 0.9–1.0 km3 tephra layer, which may as freshly fallen have been 1.1–1.2 km³, the eruption was accompanied by a jökulhlaup that flooded the Mýrdalssandur plain and neighbouring areas. The jökulhlaup on October 12 had two separate phases. The first phase is considered to have flowed supraglacially down the lower parts of the Kötlujökull outlet glacier into the Leirá, Hólmsá and Skálm rivers (northern fork), and the Sandvatn and Múlakvísl rivers (southern fork). It was much more widespread than the second phase which emerged from below the glacier snout and was confined to the western part of Mýrdalssandur. That phase carried huge icebergs and massive sediment load onto the sandur plain.

A revisit to the past plague epidemic (India) versus the present COVID-19 pandemic: fractional-order chaotic models and fuzzy logic control.

India is one of the worst hit regions by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic and ‘Black fungus’ epidemic. This paper revisits the Bombay Plague epidemic of India and presents six fractional-order models (FOMs) of the epidemic based on observational data. The models reveal chaotic dispersion and interactive coupling between multiple species of rodents. Suitable controllers based on fuzzy logic concept are designed to stabilise chaos to an infection-free equilibrium as well as to synchronise a chaotic trajectory with a regular non-chaotic one so that the unpredictability dies out. An FOM of COVID-19 is also proposed that displays chaotic propagation similar to the plague models. The index of memory and heredity that characterise FOMs are found to be crucial parameters in understanding the progression of the epidemics, capture the behaviour of transmission more accurately and reveal enriched complex dynamics of periodic to chaotic evolution, which otherwise remain unobserved in the integral models. The theoretical analyses successfully validated by numerical simulations signify that the results of the past Plague epidemic can be a pathway to identify infected regions with the closest scenarios for the present second wave of Covid-19, forecast the course of the outbreak, and adopt necessary control measures to eliminate chaotic transmission of the pandemic.

Water resilience mapping of Chennai, India using analytical hierarchy process

BackgroundThe urban water system is the worst hit in global climate change. Water resilience is the system’s ability to retaliate and recover from various water-related disruptions. The present study aims to delineate the water resilience zones in Chennai city, Tamil Nadu, India, by effectively integrating the geographic information system, remote sensing, and analytical hierarchy process (AHP).MethodsThe methodology incorporated 15 vital factors. A multi-criteria decision analysis technique was adopted to assign a weight to each parameter using the AHP. A pairwise decision matrix was constructed, parameter’s relative importance and the consistency ratio were established. Integration of all maps by weighted overlay analysis technique depicted water resilience intensities of five different classes.ResultsVery low, low and moderate water resilience areas accounted for more than three-fourth of the study area. Area Under Curve score (80.12%) depicted the accuracy of the developed model. Sensitivity analysis determined the significance of the parameters in the delineation. The logical structural approach can be employed in other parts of India or elsewhere with modifications.ConclusionThis study is novel in its approach by holistically analyzing water resilience by integrating disruptions related to flood, drought and the city's water infrastructure system's adequacy and efficiency. Researchers and planners can effectively use the study results to ensure resilience as a new perspective on effective water resource management and climate change mitigation. It becomes a decision aid mechanism identifying where the system is vulnerable to potential water-related risks for employing resilience measures.

Favipiravir (6‐Fluoro‐3‐hydroxy‐2‐pyrazinecarboxamide) a Broad Spectrum Inhibitor of Viral RNA Polymerase in COVID‐19 Treatment

AbstractA pandemic disease, COVID‐19, affecting over 253 million and 5.1 million deaths reported as on November 2021 from across the globe. The worst hit pandemic since a century. Scientists around the world are working towards the development of drugs for its treatment. Several existing antiviral medications have been tried for the same. Among these, Favipiravir, a broad‐spectrum antiviral drug originally developed to treat influenza, shows noted activity against an ample range of RNA viruses. It is an oral antiviral drug with good bioavailability found to be effective in the treatment of COVID‐19. This drug has acquired FDA manifestation for drug‐resistant Influenza as it has confirmed its safety profile. There has been growing evidence that it helps in early viral clearance and speedy symptomatic relief against COVID‐19. This review attempts to provide synthetic methods of favipiravir, mechanism of action and its importance in the treatment of COVID‐19 and other viruses.

Malacca's “Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses”: facades' architectural design elements through place identity

PurposeThe traditional courtyard shophouses modifications, alterations and deterioration over the years have become a source of concern to major stakeholders. In George Town World Heritage Site Malaysia, studies have shown that the worst hit among its various shophouses are the Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses. This paper investigates the traditional courtyard shophouses concerning the role of architectural formation design components, and how this can sustain the place identity of the Straits Chinese typology.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological approach regards the collection of data and analysis of 30 face-to-face interviews and the observation of Lots number 3, 5 and 7, located along Lorong Ikan, George Town World Heritage Site.FindingsIt was found that these Lots express the place identity of the Straits Chinese, and its major exterior architecture components to be observed are the column head (Chi Tou) capital, parapet wall, bressummer beam and ionic column, and gable and gable ends.Research limitations/implicationsThis paper is limited to the role of architectural formation design components. Future research is needed to expand the scope of participant elements via a quantitative approach. This will enhance the validation of findings from this paper.Practical implicationsIt is recommended the use of the proposed checklist to enhance the sustainability of the architectural components regarding the place identity of these styles of shophouses, which provides salutary lessons on how to preserve the heritage buildings. Also, major stakeholders with leading evidence from relevant government agencies should ensure the preservation of these cultural and heritage buildings for the next generation.Social implicationsThis paper found that the family beliefs and social impact were the components that express the place identity of the Straits Chinese.Originality/valueThis paper demonstrates that the role of architectural formation design components regarding place identity of Straits Chinese traditional courtyard eclectic style shophouses cannot be over-emphasised.

Differential impacts of the US–China trade war and the outbreak of COVID-19 on Chinese air quality

PurposeOver the last couple of years, the Chinese manufacturing sector was affected by the onset of the US–China trade war and the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In such a scenario air quality in China has encountered a shock, and the impacts of these two incidents are unknown. In this study, the authors analyze the convergence of air quality in China in the presence of multiple structural breaks and how the impacts of these two events are different from each other.Design/methodology/approachIn order to assess the nature of shocks in the presence of multiple structural breaks, unit root tests with multiple structural breaks are employed.FindingsThe results reveal that air quality in China is showing the sign of convergence, and it is consistent across 18 provinces which are worst hit by the outbreak of COVID-19. In the presence of transitory shocks, the impact of COVID-19 outbreak is found to be higher, whereas the impact of the US–China trade war is found to be more persistent. Lastly, the outbreak of COVID-19 has been found to have more impact on pollutants with higher severity of health hazard.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study that contributes to the empirical literature in terms of investigating the convergence of overall air pollution and individual air pollutants taking COVID-19 and the trade war into account.

A review of power system predictive failure model for resilience enhancement against hurricane events

Natural events such as hurricanes usually cause unimaginable destruction to the electric power system infrastructures across the globe leading to large-scale power outages. While the transmission network offers relatively high resilience to the hurricane extreme wind speed intensity (HEWSI), the distribution power system network (DPSN) is always the worst hit. To enhance the DPSN against hurricane events, both the pre- and post-event power system resilience enhancement techniques can be reviewed, and their limitations improved. Handling hurricane risks proactively for effective recovery plans requires rigorous techniques for locating and estimating the number of system component's damage causing outages on a DPSN. A review of the resilience evaluation methodologies utilized for a proactive statistical system component's failure predictive model is presented in this paper. As a contribution, this article presents the current practices, the problems, and points out the future research directions for a statistical system components’ line outage predictive model that can greatly enhance the DPSN against hurricane events for short-term operational planning.