Health Hazards and Protocol for Management of Used Facemasks Outside Hospitals during SARCOV-2 Pandemic

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Background: SARS-CoV-2 is highly infectious pathogenic disease leading to infection and death of millions of people all over the world till the date according to the data provided by John Hopkins University. Peoples have started using various types of mask to protect themselves from getting infected from the deadly corona virus. There has also been large amount of confusion in general public about disposal of the mask as most of them are using for first time in their life. Even healthcare professionals may be unaware of the methods of disposal of the masks outside their hospitals. This mask may carry infections from asymptomatic, SARS-CoV-2 patients that if it comes in contact with other peoples and animals may have severe bio health hazards.

Observation & Management of facemasks: Since the SARS-COV-2 pandemic outbreak since March 2020, personally, we found out that peoples a carelessly throwing masks everywhere including streets, parking lots, beaches, building complexes, sewages and homes. These masks may have been used by asymptomatic carriers or have got infected with these viruses is hazardous not only to the health of the public but also for the household waste collectors, pet animals and marine animals. Disinfecting with sodium hypochlorite * decontaminating methods like washing facemasks and drying in sunlight, pressure cooker sterilisation method, boiling, by using laundry detergent and hot dryer and cleaning in washing machine, etc.

Conclusion & Relevance: The objective of these articles is to alert the public & health care professionals to understand the hazards of throwing the facemasks at public places and preventive measure to be taken during this pandemic time and various methods of decontamination, pre-treatment and disposal of facemask avoiding severe health hazards.

Characterisation of Phytolith Production and Their Taxonomic Use among Five Species of Aristida

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Phytoliths are amorphous silicon dioxide depositions in and around the cells of certain plants. Phytoliths of Poaceae are of great importance in the field of taxonomy and Archeology. Present study confirms the use of phytolith characters in the delimitation of Aristida species. Five species of Aristida were included in the study. Various characters like presence or absence of prickle hairs, nature of margins in lobate phytoliths, shank length in relation to the length of lobes etc. proved to be promising characters in the delimitation of the taxa. A taxonomic key to the identification of species is also provided.

Finite Element Investigation of Moment Effect on Fretting Fatigue

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Fretting fatigue is a degrading process which is responsible for considerable amount of mechanical structure failure every year. In the present study, a finite element model is proposed to show the effect of a bending moment on a flat surface under fretting loading. The results show that the bending moment has a major effect on the friction stress distribution on the surface of the two solids under contact. Finite element analysis predicts an increased damage effect on the surface of solids when a load is applied as a pure moment. The results predict elevation in the relative slip between the surfaces after applying the bending moment.

Determining Criteria and Their Weights for Evaluating the Capability of Gen-Z Human Resources Meeting Japanese Labour Market Expectations- A Case Study in Binh Dinh

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The objective of this study is to determine the criteria and their weights for evaluate the quality of gen-z human resources in Binh Dinh province and their capability of satisfying the requirements of working in Japan and/or working for Japanese enterprises located in the province, using the expert method and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. The results showed that the satisfying capability of human resources should be evaluated under 12 criteria: Physical health, Life skills, Occupational competence, Education attainment, Foreign language literacy, Computer literacy, Self-discipline and self-organization, Work attitude, Problem-solving skills, Independent working skills, Teamwork skills, and Learning skills.

 

Home Range and Distance Covered of Chukar Partridge Alectoris Chukar at Mandal Valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India

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Present paper reports Home range and distance covered of Chukar partridge at mandal valley, Garhwal Himalaya from November 2018 to October 2019. During the study period, average home range (altitude M) of Chukar was 1756.75±7.75 and average distance covered from water source 69.52±6.76 (M), maximum range observed in month of June (1812±8.0) while minimum range observed in November month (1708±5.0) respectively. Maximum distance covered observed in August month (99.04±11.42) and minimum distance covered recorded in month of May (41.10±4.83). Seasonal variation was also observed, Maximum range in Summer season (1803±10.33)and minimum observed in winter season (1713.33±8.0), seasonal variation also observed in monsoon and post monsoon season (84.85± 8.77) while minimum value was observed in summer season (47.77±6.44) respectively.

Preparation and Characterization of Zinc Oxide (Zno)/Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) Nanocomposites

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A series of novel zinc oxide / Poly (methyl methacrylate) nanocomposite films with different ZnO contents were prepared through inclusion of pre-synthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles. The physical composition and morphology of the as-prepared nanocomposites were studied by XRD and TEM. The TEM analyses revealed that the zinc oxide nanoparticles have a particle size of ~3–5 nm. X-ray diffraction proved the presence of the amorphous PMMA in the nanocomposites. The intermolecular interactions within the polymer nanocomposites were explored by FTIR and XRD. FTIR spectra confirmed the dispersion of the zinc oxide nanoparticles in the Poly (methyl methacrylate) i.e. PMMA matrices. The UV-Vis absorption measurements of the ZnO/PMMA nanocomposites proved their potential optical properties.

Association of Colours and Mood Tones That Could Define Stress among International School Students in Bangkok

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Have you ever wondered how colours perceiving through the lens of our eyes influence our emotions or why some objects in different colours dissimilarly affect the mood we experience in our daily lives? The purpose of this study is to determine the correlation between colours and stress levels of international school teenagers. The rationale behind this topic is from theGoethe’s Theory of Colours. To test whether two variables correlate, we conducted a cross-sectional survey study. Our questionnaire contains 28 questions, all of which have been approved by 4 experts. Data were collected from Mahidol University International Demonstration School (MUIDS) students who aged between 15 and 18 years old using an online survey, Google Forms.  A total of 245 students participated in the study and completed the survey. To determine the correlation between colours and stress levels, we used Statistical Product and Service Solutions version 27.0 (SPSS) for data analysis. Pearson’s correlation test revealed that there is no significant correlation between colours and stress levels. Although we did not find any correlation, we suspected that there might be other possible factors such as cultures, personality and situational factors that play a significant role in developing stress. Moreover, colours also have different meanings in different cultures. Therefore, more scientific research is required to gain a better understanding of colour psychology.

Pandemic and the Predicament of Labour Migration: The Indian Experience of Mitigating the Multifaceted Dimensions of a Humanitarian Catastrophe

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The COVID-19 Pandemic has accentuated pre-existing global conflicts and fissures tremendously, and India has been plagued with multifaceted challenges from skyrocketing unemployment, demand and public debt crisis to the predicament of labour migration, characterized by a plethora of economic, sociological, political and humanitarian ramifications. The rudimentary objective of this paper is to offer a normative teleological insight into the de facto migrant labour crisis in India, while holistically juxtaposing myriad ontological and epistemological indicators, with an emphasis on the economic and human rights dimension of Pandemic-induced intra-state and inter-state labour migration. While assessing a series of macro-societal and cyclical developments, ranging from “Push and Pull” factors of labour migration, reactionary decision-making of the political establishment to the repercussions of cyclical lockdowns, the attitudinal and ideational component of the social order towards migrant labourers has been highlighted, when a virulent contagion has propelled systemic racial discrimination, cognitive biases, ethnocentrism, xenophobia and institutionalized otherization vis-à-vis the instruments of statecraft, during the pyrrhic rise of mobilization on the closures of borders. While the notion of physical and social distancing is antithetical to the rationale behind society and politics as collective decision-making arenas, the current health crisis has compelled to turn the lens back on the struggles and vast array of insecurities of migration and settlement.  Additionally, this paper throws light on the immediate contours and trajectories of forced and voluntary labour migration, processes of assimilation and acculturation, how networks and kinship ties that migrant labourers bring with them shape the magnitude of internal and international migration by adding to the changing global demography. A series of speculative policy prescriptions have been suggested, advancing an ethos of care and respect.

Improving India’s Pandemic Response through a Health Information System Reform

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Despite stringent lockdown measures to curb the spread of the 2019 Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), India remains vulnerable to an uncontrolled rise in the number of cases and deaths. Furthermore, in spite of the high number of recorded cases, the actual case counts may be much higher due to poor data reporting of probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 from all of India’s states. Being a populous country with the potential to become the world’s COVID-19 epicenter, it should be the Indian government’s top priority to strengthen India’s health information system (HIS) to support their infectious disease response.

To ensure that this paper is guided by current research on India’s HIS performance, a search strategy was developed on Ovid MEDLINE using database-specific subject headings and text words. The search terms used included: “health information systems” AND “India” AND “COVID-19” OR “Coronavirus.”

Most district level COVID-19 information management is still paper-based, and with India’s vast terrain, this approach is prone to data compilation errors. Furthermore, India’s fragmented HIS has led to ineffective collaboration between COVID-19 response agencies at the central, state, and district levels, thereby creating barriers pertaining to the compilation and coordination of COVID-19 data.

Investing in the use of technology is a viable approach to strengthen the country’s HIS performance during an infectious disease pandemic. To address the challenges associated with India’s fragmented HIS, the government is encouraged to implement a national regulatory body to monitor health information inputs and outputs.

Studies on Fish feed Formulation of Indian Major Carps from Aquatic Macrophytes, Lemna minor and Eichhornia crassipes

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In the present study, highest SGR (Specific Growth Rate) was obtained in 20% in Lemna minor and 10% in Echhornia crassipes. The leaves of aquatic plants had considerable amount of crude protein and crude lipid, which improves the growth of fingerlings of fish upto a certain levels of inclusions, thereby reducing the feed cost. The slow growth performance might be due to absence of natural feed in the laboratory culture. The leaf meals inclusion has much advantage in growth performance of fish. However these leaf meals need processing to lower their fibre content, which to be used as fish feed.