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Purpose: This paper aims to determine the implications of Covid-19 on the livelihood of marine fishermen. It gives a concrete picture of how vulnerable communities like marine fishermen are affected due to the lockdown policies. The paper examines these communities' present status and the extent of vulnerability during the post-Covid period. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses an exploratory research design to find the solution to the research problem. 298 samples were collected and analysed within a sustainable livelihood theoretical framework. The scope of the study is limited to marine fishermen in Kerala, residing in six districts out of the nine coastal districts. The impact of the lockdown on income was analysed using paired t-test and results linked with the theory. Findings: The study has done an empirical analysis for three periods: before lockdown, lockdown and after lockdown, to identify the impact of lockdown on marine fishermen. The study's significant findings are that these fishermen's livelihood is at risk during the post-lockdown period, and many families are moving into a "debt-trap". Research limitations/implications: Policymakers can develop appropriate policy strategies to enhance the livelihood assets of vulnerable communities to include them in a sustainable framework. Originality/value: Only a few studies are highlighting the impact of Covid-19 on vulnerable communities in India. The effects of climate change on the marine ecosystem are already endangering marine fisher folks' livelihoods. In this light, it is vital to study the extent of the impact of income shock on the livelihood assets of marine fishermen due to the lockdown policy implemented in the State to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2023-0192 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and the subsequent restrictive measures such as lockdown/shutdown have gravely impacted everyday life by suspending regular activities. This unprecedented situation has also led to a potential reorganization of social practices. The distinction between social spaces such as work, education, entertainment and family became linear, and the superseding of public, private and leisure time was evident. As a vibrant public space that plays a significant role in the personal and social life of the public, libraries had to explore novel methods to continue their services and social role during the lockdown period. This paper discusses rural public libraries in Kerala, India, by exploring their modalities of work execution and program organization during the pandemic-affected lockdown period between 2020–2022. The paper seeks to find out how the rural libraries of Kerala managed to engage in their daily services, focusing on how these libraries utilized digital media technologies and social networking sites in day-to-day activities. Based on the in-depth interviews with eleven local librarians this study explains different approaches planned and executed by the libraries to reach out to their readers and how these attempts mobilized and integrated the public to respond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural India – following the COVID-induced shrinking of employment opportunities; heavy reliance on adverse coping strategies, including liquidation of productive assets and dispensing with productive investments; and inadequacies in government-support programs – may observe both further deterioration of its existing poor and the emergence of a new poor, with characteristics and implications that are dissimilar to those of the existing poor. The dynamic characteristics of poverty are not adequately captured by the official statistics and issues of flows into and out of poverty continue to remain a puzzle in India. Therefore, this paper underscores the urgent need to undertake evidence-based research to identify and profile the new poor and to customise the welfare schemes addressing their specific needs and priorities. It further argues for a rethinking of the role of local institutions, i.e. Gram Panchayats, in the tracking of poverty and in conceiving the Gram Panchayat Development Plan (GPDP), prioritising resource allocation for the new poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed several chinks in the armour of public health infrastructure across the world. However, the impact of the pandemic has been assessed primarily from the perspective of the 'privileged' members of society. The experiences of the 'other' world inhabited by the marginalised communities, who have had their livelihoods crushed under the weight of the pandemic, have been scarcely documented. As thousands of migrant workers were more scared of death caused by hunger rather than the disease itself, the various steps taken by different countries to curb community transmission have unveiled the ugly side of these measures. For example, as several states such as the US, the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India/Bharat imposed lockdowns, border closures, quarantines, inter alia, the most vulnerable section of the human population has been the migrant workers, especially those individuals who were employed in the unorganised sector. Thus, the global health crisis has unravelled deep-rooted deficiencies, racial biases, and an overall lack of concern and empathy for the lesser privileged, apart from the growing socio-economic divide between the rich and the poor. This research paper aims to explore the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers in the informal sector by exploring the measures imposed by the US, the UK, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India/Bharat and analyse how their fundamental rights, including the right to development, were compromised. Through this paper, the author provides a five-point strategic framework that can be adopted globally to prevent such instances in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to study the experiences of middle-class working mothers from the ITES (Information Technology Enabled Service) sector in India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their experiences of work from home are studied in the backdrop of the ideal worker model at work and the adult worker model at home. Further, the study aims to identify the need for sustainable, inclusive practices for working mothers in Indian organizations to break the male breadwinner model in middle-class households. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach to collect data from 39 middle-class mothers working in MNCs in four metro cities in India. The semi-structured, in-depth interviews focused on their experiences of motherhood, care and work before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings: The pandemic made it evident that the ideal worker model in organizations and the adult worker model at home were illusions for working mothers. The results indicate a continued obligation of the "ideal worker culture" at organizations, even during the health crisis. It made the working mothers realize that they were chasing both the (ideal worker and adult worker) norms but could never achieve them. Subsequently, the male breadwinner model was reinforced at home due to the matrix of motherhood, care and work during the pandemic. The study concludes by arguing the reconstruction of the ideal worker image to make workplaces more inclusive for working mothers. Originality/value: The study is placed in the context of Indian middle-class motherhood during the pandemic, a demography less explored in the literature. The paper puts forth various myths constituting the gendered realities of Indian middle-class motherhood. It also discusses sustainable, inclusive workplace practices for mothers from their future workplaces' standpoint, especially in post-pandemic times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have collected the data about the 507 high-cited (citations ≥ 25) papers on Covid 19 published by India using Scopus database. Within small span of time many papers have received considerable number of citations. Further we have analyzed in terms of types of papers, major funding agencies, major collaborating countries, prolific authors, productive organizations and cluster analysis of author supplied keywords. Most of the papers were research articles. Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India has funded considerable numbers of papers on Covid 19 and K. Dhama form Indian Veterinary Research Institute has contributed highest numbers papers and USA was major collaborating country and PGIMER-Chandigarh was most contributing organization. This study will be useful to the scientist/researchers to know the characteristics of high cited papers on Covid-19 from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the existing Susceptible-Infected-Recovered-Deceased (SIRD) compartmental epidemiologic process model is modified for forecasting the coronavirus effect in India. The data from India was studied for weekly fatalities, weekly infected, weekly recovered, new cases, infected and recovered individuals, Reproductive Number R0, recovery rate, death rate, and coefficient of transmission from 30 January 2020 to 31 July 2021. SARS Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the Covid strain that causes Covid sickness (COVID-19), a respiratory ailment that triggered the outbreak of COVID-19 at the beginning of December 2019. We aim to provide a hybrid SIRD model for predicting the COVID-19 outbreak. In the proposed method, to improve the exploration ability of the Grey Wolf Optimizer (GWO) or to avoid stagnation in the swarm, a modified Grey Wolf Optimization Algorithm is used to optimize the initial value of Infected individuals. The modified SIRD model is further applied to get the predicted values. The data is examined on weekly basis to prevent noise. Depending on the fact, that the precise mode of transmission is highly dependent on how and when different precautions such as isolation, confinement, and other preventative measures were implemented, we put together our projections concerning satisfactory speculations based on genuine realities. The experimental results show the various trends observed in the pandemic in terms of number of peaks, increasing trend, decreasing trend, and continuous trend for infected individuals, weekly change in number of cases, weekly deaths, weekly infected, and weekly recoeverd cases of Covid-19. The proposed modified SIRD model could be a valuable tool for assessing the impact of government measures on COVID-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor air quality (IAQ) in the built environment is significantly influenced by particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and air temperature. Recently, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been integrated to improve IAQ and safeguard human health, comfort, and productivity. This review seeks to highlight the potential of IoT integration for monitoring IAQ. Additionally, the paper details progress by researchers in developing IoT/mobile applications for IAQ monitoring, and their transformative impact in smart building, healthcare, predictive maintenance, and real-time data analysis systems. It also outlines the persistent challenges (e.g., data privacy, security, and user acceptability), hampering effective IoT implementation for IAQ monitoring. Lastly, the global developments and research landscape on IoT for IAQ monitoring were examined through bibliometric analysis (BA) of 106 publications indexed in Web of Science from 2015 to 2022. BA revealed the most significant contributing countries are India and Portugal, while the top productive institutions and researchers are Instituto Politecnico da Guarda (10.37% of TP) and Marques Goncalo (15.09% of TP), respectively. Keyword analysis revealed four major research themes: IoT, pollution, monitoring, and health. Overall, this paper provides significant insights for identifying prospective collaborators, benchmark publications, strategic funding, and institutions for future IoT-IAQ researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: The second peak of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) experienced by India in April-May 2021 overwhelmed the health care system. A severe shortage of oxygen was experienced, and it was realized that some method of estimating the oxygen consumption should be available in order to streamline the distribution network of oxygen. Methods: In this paper, the authors propose a method of estimating the daily oxygen consumption for a hospital based on different formulae used to calculate oxygen consumption by various oxygen therapy devices. The proposed method was tested for its accuracy by measuring the actual oxygen consumption during the same period on the basis of pressure gauge readings difference observed on the liquid oxygen tank. The estimated and actual oxygen consumption was calculated each day for a period of 10 days. Results: The mean estimated oxygen consumption was 1.26±0.11 metric Tonne (MT), and the actual consumption was 1.34±0.08 MT. The estimated and actual consumption had a positive and significant correlation between them (correlation coefficient of 0.699). Reliability analysis performed using the Cronbach’s alpha revealed a factor of 0.94 as a coefficient between both variables indicating that the actual and calculated oxygen consumptions are nearly equal. The Bland and Altman analysis revealed a good agreement. Interpretation and Conclusions: It is concluded that the total oxygen requirement can be reliably estimated based on the proposed formulae, which can be useful to estimate the oxygen consumption of different hospitals, and plan the distribution of oxygen in a city or a district as a part of preparedness to deal with future surges of COVID-19 infections, if any. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the way the outbreak of coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown has egregiously impeded the Hindu death ceremonies and mourning rituals in India. It makes a comparative analysis of how Hindu death rituals get renegotiated, modified and reinterpreted across two vastly different regions of India, both of which have their local customs. Whilst death rituals in India are contingent on the deceased's caste, community, class, gender and age, the impediment to the major death rituals creates a central conundrum for all mourners. It results from the substitution of 'sacred' ritual guidelines with new 'profane' ones for the 'disposal' of deceased COVID-19 patients. Departure from many significant pre-liminal rites, specific transition rites, and post-liminal rites has eschatological, ritual and cultural ramifications. The inability to grieve in unison during a Shraddh ceremony denies mourners any scope to quell distressing feelings about mortality which serves as a source of consolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to extend the enhanced "unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT)" model with pandemic precautionary measures (PPM) to examine the variables that influence the adoption of "cashless transactions (CLT)" during pandemic periods such as COVID-19. For this purpose, this research polled 363 people from 15 zones of Chennai City, India. Utilizing the responses, the relationship between components was explored using a PLS-SEM approach in two distinct research models to examine the influence of PPM in the enhanced UTAUT. The results indicate that the model with PPM (model 2) exhibited an improvement over the model without PPM (model 1) in the variance explained of behavioural intention from 77.3 to 82%. Further, in model 1, performance expectation is the most potent predictor of individuals' intentions to use CLT, and in model 2, performance expectations deteriorated slightly in its ability and PPM became the most potent predictor. Furthermore, these findings reveal that the PPM-included enhanced UTAUT has significantly strengthened its ability to explain behavioural intent to adopt CLT. Thus, this research model has the potential to be of great use in investigating the adoption of CLT in any epidemic period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies emphasize accuracy in machine learning regression models, yet scalability and execution efficiency are often overlooked, critical for large datasets or extensive computations. This paper introduces a scalable, distributed Spark MLlib regression model through the best subset selection approach to predict Covid-19 statistics in India, demonstrating high accuracy, scalability, and execution efficiency. Notably, limited research focuses on tree-based regression, particularly gradient boost regression, in the context of the Covid-19 dataset. The proposed work optimizes regression models for accuracy and execution time on Spark clusters of varying sizes using the best subset selection approach. Evaluation encompasses Root Mean Square Error (RMSE), Mean Absolute Error (MAE), R2 Error for accuracy, and execution time analysis. Results indicate superior prediction accuracy in tree-based regression, with Gradient Boosted Tree Regression (GBTR) leading, and Random Forest Regression (RFR) surpassing Decision Tree Regression (DTR). Accuracy remains consistent across Python library, Spark MLlib on a single machine, and clusters of varying sizes, with Spark MLlib displaying lower execution times than Python's machine learning library on a single machine. Furthermore, execution times decrease substantially within Spark clusters, particularly for the iterative GBTR. This research uncovers scalability and execution efficiency aspects, highlighting tree-based regression's accuracy and advocating for Spark MLlib's efficacy in enhancing execution efficiency, especially across multi-node clusters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic affected cancer service delivery and the feasibility of following the standard treatment guidelines. The present paper describes the use of clinical care guidelines for cancer management in routine practice and the approach adopted towards cancer care during the COVID‐19 pandemic in India. Methods: A web‐based survey was done in 107 hospitals (including public and private health facilities) that hosted Hospital‐Based Cancer Registries under the National Cancer Registry Programme. The participants comprised Principal Investigators of these registries, who were also medical, surgical, and radiation oncology clinicians. The survey was done between May 1, 2021, and July 31, 2021. Participants were provided with a web link for the survey questionnaire, confidential login, and password. Results: The study found high utilization of Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) during practice, with eight out of ten physicians constantly to referring them. The study reported lack of knowledge, skills, and training to administer the treatment based on the guidelines followed by organizational infrastructure and affordability of treatment by the patients as the factors hampering utilization. International clinical guidelines were preferred when compared to national guidelines. The COVID‐19 pandemic decreased the use of CPGs, wherein six out of ten clinicians reported their use. Conclusion: Stakeholders who formulate clinical guidelines must consider the practical aspects and feasibility of implementing such guidelines during a pandemic and similar situations. This should be coupled with adequate changes in care practice to ensure optimal care delivery and a continuum of cancer care in routine and pandemic‐imposed situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has hugely affected the world and human lives, the economy, and lifestyles. The pandemic control measures, such as lockdowns, forced many people to migrate from their destination to their source in various states, leading to increased vulnerability of migrants. The present review aimed to explore the different health, economic, and social impacts on internal migrants of India during the pandemic. The publications on internal migration and COVID-19 from India were retrieved from PubMed and Google Scholar using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 159 articles were extracted, of which 28 were reviewed. The articles published after March 1, 2020, were included in the review, irrespective of the design. Out of 28 articles, only half were original studies; the rest were either perspective, opinion, and review studies or editorial and commentary papers. Depression, anxiety, and stress due to job loss and lockdown were the major health issues documented. There was livelihood disturbance due to loss of income, such as inability to pay rent, loans, borrowing from relatives, and fear of its consequences. The migrants also faced stigma and discrimination from the villagers. The review also highlighted that although the government implemented various schemes to help the migrants, the majority were left out due to the non-availability of identity proof and ration cards. The safeguarding measures for these unregistered migrants must be facilitated to access health, economic, and social protection. Although various publications have focused on the mental health of the migrants, the socio-ecological aspects have been least explored, which calls for further studies. The literature on the impact of COVID-19 on other vulnerable populations like women and children and access to healthcare services is also scant, which needs to be explored further. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining is an important enterprise that will supply essential minerals for the country's infrastructural development. Mining is a key industry and a development engine in the Indian economy. The epidemic has had both immediate and long-term effects on the labour and industries in India. Short-term effects include the cessation of mineral production, salary loss due to absenteeism and pandemic limitations, unemployment, and the selling of minerals on the market. The reputation and economic health of industries, fresh mineral deposit exploration, and new mining complex development have all been impacted in long-term. Aside from the mining industry-specific impact of COVID-19, the social fabric of the mining workers has been impacted since they are living in an environment of fear and uncertainty. This paper attempts to analyse the effect of COVID-19 on extractive industries in India. It also focuses the steps which taken by the Indian government. The paper concluded with the negative effect of COVID-19 which disrupts the mining sector and the contribution declined during COVID-19. However, for instance from mineral rich-Odisha, the mining sector takes up by its growth in post COVID-19 period with remarkable increment from negative growth to high positive rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: As a global pandemic, Covid-19 has aroused great concern and garnered research interest world-wide In India a growing number of related researches have been published in the last few months. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis of these publications may provide indication of current status and future research trends in the field. Methods: The India's literature about Covid-19 published during 2019-2021 were searched in the Scopus database using a well-defined search strategy. The following keywords "Covid 19" or "2019 novel coronavirus" or "coronavirus 2019" or "coronavirus disease 2019" or "2019-novel CoV" or "2019 ncov" or covid 2019 or covid19 or "corona virus 2019" or ncov-2019 or ncov2019 or "nCoV 2019" or 2019-ncov or covid-19 or "Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" or "SARS-CoV-2"were used in "Keyord" and "Title" (Title of articles) tags to reach the relevant publications. VOSviewer was applied to perform the bibliometric analysis of these articles. Results: The bibliometric analysis of India's literature on Covid-19 indicates that there were 10,233 indexed publications in Scopus database until April 2021. Of all these publications, 52.87% were original articles and 11.75% (1202) publications received external funding from more than 150 agencies and 27.41% (2805) involve international collaboration with more than 150 countries. USA contributed the largest share (38.47%) in India's international collaborative papers, followed by U.K. (22.89%), China (11.55%), Saudi Arabia (11.44), Australia (11.23%), etc. In the geographical distribution, Delhi tops the publication list (with 21.86% share), followed by Mumbai (7.30%), Chennai (7.27%), Pune (6.44%) and Kolkata (6.04%). Among population age groups, "Adults" accounts for the largest publication share (9.98%), followed by "Middle Aged" (5.07%), "Children" (3.65%), "Aged" (3.65%) and "Adolescents" (2.82%). "Treatment studies" among prominent topics, account for the largest publication share (34.12% share), followed by "Clinical Studies" (13.13%), "Epidemiology" (10.54%), "Imaging and Diagnostics" (9.64%), "Pathophysiology" (6.27%), and etc. The 1311 organizations and 3413 authors participated in India's research on Covid-19, of which the top 30 organizations and authors contributed 43.50% and 11.57% national publication share and 45.62% and 32.14% national citation share. AIIMS-New Delhi and PGIMER-Chandigarh were the most productive organizations (with 623 and 468 papers). IVRIBareilly (21.32 and 4.44) and IIT-New Delhi (12.37 and 2.58) were the most impactful organizations. V. Wiwanitkit and K. Dhama were the most productive authors (with 182 and. 107 papers). R. Sah (42.89 and 8.93) and A. Misra (41.93 and 8.74) were the most impactful authors. International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences (270 papers) and Indian Journal of Ophthalmology (210 papers) were the most productive journals. Science of the Total Environment (43.98) and Asian Journal of Psychiatry (19.19) were the most impactful journals. Conclusion: The paper provides a deeper understanding of the current Covid-19 research milieu in India, by identifying key players (and their collaboration linkages) and key sub-fields, while highlighting potential patterns that could assist future researchers in their scientific pursuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 situation affected the whole landscape of retailing in India and around the world. However, some businesses have used the pandemic-related difficulties into opportunities. E-tailing is one of the ways that helped people in India to continue shopping their essential products and choosing their luxury products without making any physical visits during the lockdown. This research understands the current situation through an observation study and suggests the e-tailing model suitable during the COVID-19 and beyond. Design/methodology: We used secondary data to make the observational study. We also conducted two case studies and interviews with grocery shops and an automotive company. Findings: This research suggests a simple collaborative e-tailing model combining all supply chain players to reduce people's movement, timely delivery and enhanced service to meet customers demand during the lockdown period. Originality/value: This paper has considered two real cases for discussion and also obtained information from public domain. The proposed model has been discussed with the case companies, and it hoped to support business planning for online services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The paper examines the investment decisions of Indian equity mutual funds during various stages of the COVID-19 pandemic with monthly portfolio holdings. We find that funds favoured firms with lower risk, higher financial flexibility, and larger size during the early months of the pandemic. The preference for relatively low-risk firms, which reverses later, suggests a reallocation towards safer assets. Funds also preferred growth firms to value firms as the latter with greater invested capital are more vulnerable to the shock. Institutional investors also favoured group-affiliated firms throughout, reflecting their lower crisis vulnerability. We find that the stocks preferred by funds during the pandemic outperform others in the long run. The paper brings out key firm characteristics that impact mutual fund asset allocation during extreme uncertainty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has left an indelible mark on societies worldwide, challenging governments to respond swiftly and effectively to mitigate its impact. India, with its vast population and complex healthcare landscape, faced unique challenges in formulating and implementing a pandemic response strategy. The article examines India's policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic and explores the valuable lessons it offers for shaping a more resilient and prepared society in a post-COVID world. It provides a comprehensive analysis of India's multifaceted approach to managing the pandemic, highlighting key elements such as lockdowns, testing and contact tracing, healthcare infrastructure, vaccination drives, and economic relief measures. By delving into both the successes and shortcomings of these policies, it seeks to extract valuable insights for policymakers and public health officials globally. As the world transitions into a post-COVID era, the lessons learned from India's experience offer a roadmap for building stronger healthcare systems, improving disaster preparedness, and enhancing social safety nets. The article underscores the importance of proactive governance, community engagement, data-driven decision-making, and international collaboration in the face of global health crises. The paper demonstrates that India's journey through the pandemic provides a wealth of knowledge that can inform policy development, foster greater resilience, and help societies better navigate the uncertainties of a post-COVID world. By reflecting on the successes and challenges of India's response, this article offers actionable insights for shaping a more equitable, sustainable, and prepared society in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to measure the extent of digital financial inclusion (DFI) and examine the effect of socioeconomic characteristics on using government remittances and the adoption of digital financial services (DFS) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design/methodology/approach: The World Bank Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) database 2021 is used in this study, with a sample size of 3,000 Indian individuals. The study measured the demand-side analysis of DFI, namely, accessibility and usage of DFS with selected socioeconomic characteristics such as gender, age, income, education, being in the workforce and residential status of respondents. The dependent variable is binary in nature; therefore, the logistic regression model is used for the data analysis. Findings: The results of the study reveal that individuals' socioeconomic factors, such as female, all the age groups, tertiary education, third- and fourth-income quintile and workforce, are found to have a significant association with "accessibility," an exogenous variable of DFS. Besides, respondents' socioeconomic attributes, namely, female, tertiary education, income for all quintiles and workforce, are more likely to use DFSs in the COVID-19 pandemic. The study also finds the residential status of individuals is influencing the accessibility and usage of DFS. Practical implications: The findings of the study provide valuable insights to the service providers and policymakers regarding the rapid expansion of DFS by digital infrastructure, simplifying the banking procedures and highlighting the importance of digital financial literacy to accomplish government goals through serving the unbanked population and also design strategies for achieving the objectives of Digital India: "Faceless, Paperless, and Cashless" of DFI across the country. Originality/value: Notable studies used World Bank Findex survey data to explore the determinants of financial inclusion in general. This research is one among the few studies to explore the determinants of India's DFI. Moreover, this study measured the effect of individual socioeconomic attributes on the adoption of DFSs during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not been included in prior studies. Therefore, this study has added value to the existing literature on financial technology innovation and DFS for the sustainable development of emerging nations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In India, the incidence of mucormycosis reached high levels during 2021–2022, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this, we established a multicentric ambispective cohort of patients hospitalised with mucormycosis across India. In this paper, we report their baseline profile, clinical characteristics and outcomes at discharge. Patients hospitalized for mucormycosis during March–July 2021 were included. Mucormycosis was diagnosed based on mycological confirmation on direct microscopy (KOH/Calcofluor white stain), culture, histopathology, or supportive evidence from endoscopy or imaging. After consent, trained data collectors used medical records and telephonic interviews to capture data in a pre-tested structured questionnaire. At baseline, we recruited 686 patients from 26 study hospitals, of whom 72.3% were males, 78% had a prior history of diabetes, 53.2% had a history of corticosteroid treatment, and 80% were associated with COVID-19. Pain, numbness or swelling of the face were the commonest symptoms (73.3%). Liposomal Amphotericin B was the commonest drug formulation used (67.1%), and endoscopic sinus surgery was the most common surgical procedure (73.6%). At discharge, the disease was stable in 43.3%, in regression for 29.9% but 9.6% died during hospitalization. Among survivors, commonly reported disabilities included facial disfigurement (18.4%) and difficulties in chewing/swallowing (17.8%). Though the risk of mortality was only 1 in 10, the disability due to the disease was very high. This cohort study could enhance our understanding of the disease's clinical progression and help frame standard treatment guidelines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unexpected and sudden spread of the novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has opened up many scopes for researchers in the fields of biotechnology, health care, educational sectors, agriculture, manufacturing, service sectors, marketing, finance, etc. Hence, the researchers are concerned to study, analyze and predict the impact of infection of COVID-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many fields, particularly the stock markets in the financial sector. In this paper, we have proposed an econometric approach and stochastic approach to analyze the stochastic nature of stock price before and during a COVID-19-specific pandemic period. For our study, we considered the BSE SENSEX INDEX closing pricing data from the Bombay Stock Exchange for the period before and during COVID-19. We have applied the statistical tools, namely descriptive statistics for testing the normal distribution of data, unit root test for testing the stationarity, and GARCH and stochastic model for measuring the risk, also investigated drift and volatility (or diffusion) coefficients of the stock price SDE by using R Environment software and formulated the 95% confidence level bound with the help of 500 times simulations. Finally, the results have been obtained from these methods and simulations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In difficult times, people turn to poetry, reading, and writing for solace and peace. In emotionally intense and traumatic times, people use poetry to process and understand the lived eyepieces. The havoc wreaked by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals all across the world. Poetry has emerged as a savior in these difficult times. A phenomenon, "lockdown poems", came into existence as individuals all across the globe processed and shared their lived experiences of isolation, pain, and suffering through poems. In the present paper, students of a management program process and share their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the subsequent lockdowns, and their community work experience. Poetry as a therapeutic and hope-building tool is discussed in the paper along with the original poems written by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This research paper highlights the economic impact on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) due to Coronavirus outbreaks. It proposes factors that influence the strengthening and survival of SMEs. Design/methodology/approach: In this research, resilience is reflected in the following aspects hope, problem resolution and persistence. This quantitative study analyses a purposive sample of 120 small and medium-sized firms in India. The study's primary data are the responses to questionnaires issued to respondents, analyzed and hypotheses formed and tested using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. Findings: The study results show that all the variables significantly reduce the impact of COVID-19 on SMEs. The presented model is expected to help researchers, business modelers, analysts and real professionals with further studies in the SME context. Originality/value: This new approach adds to the business resilience knowledge of SMEs and has practical implications for manufacturing organizations seeking to become robust during and after COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In response to the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, India's government instituted a severe nationwide lockdown in late March 2020. In this paper, we analyze household survey data on income from an Indian state, Punjab. We analyze the impacts of the pandemic and lockdown on total household income, as well as its components, including wages, business income and transfers. This paper innovates in this area by using Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood estimation to deal with the skewed distributions of various income components, as well as quantile regressions to examine differential impacts across the income distribution. We examine the differences between rural and urban households, differential impacts on female-headed and laborer households, and the time pattern of impacts. We find that rural households experienced more persistent income declines than urban households, and their wages suffered relatively more. Households with daily laborers were most badly affected, and this was especially true at the bottom of the income distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic posed substantial challenges to healthcare systems globally and severely disrupted essential health services, including routine immunization programs. In India, these disruptions were exacerbated due to the sudden emergence of the pandemic and lockdown measures, leading to mass migrations and a shortage of healthcare workers. Caregivers' concerns about routine immunization sessions further compounded the problem, resulting in a sharp increase in zero-dose children. This review paper examines India's strategies for conducting one of the world's largest COVID-19 vaccination programs while effectively restoring and perpetuating its Universal Immunization Program (UIP). The UIP played a pivotal role in sustaining immunization services during the pandemic, ultimately improving immunization coverage compared to pre-pandemic levels. India's accomplishments in this regard are highlighted through key performance indicators, the reach of immunization services, a reduction in zero-dose children, and antigen-wise coverage. The paper also discusses the successful integration of COVID-19 vaccination within the UIP framework, underscoring the significance of existing infrastructure, technology, and capacity building. India's dedication to concurrently managing routine immunization and COVID-19 vaccination showcases the adaptability and resilience of its healthcare system. India's journey serves as a global example of efficient mass immunization during challenging times, emphasizing the importance of political will, healthcare infrastructure investment, skilled healthcare workforces, and comprehensive vaccination programs. In a world grappling with the dual challenge of COVID-19 and routine immunization, India's experience provides a roadmap for strengthening healthcare systems and promoting public health as the critical agenda in challenging times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many working mothers in India adopted involuntary telecommuting work option for the first time. However, no research explored their adjustments and experiences in the new work setting. This paper aims to gain an in-depth understanding of Indian working mothers' lived experience of involuntary telecommuting. Design/methodology/approach: A phenomenological research design was adopted. The authors conducted 14 in-depth, semi-structured telephonic and online interviews. Data were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis framework. Findings: The data analysis yielded two interconnected superordinate themes in this research: (1) characteristics of involuntary telecommuting and (2) the impact of involuntary telecommuting. Under the first theme, four sub-themes emerged: long working hours, increased family demands, reduced interaction with coworkers and technology-enabled communication with supervisors. The second theme comprised five sub-themes: time-based work interference with family, time-based family interference with work, strain-based family interference with work, absence of emotional and professional support and performance management concerns. Involuntary telecommuting mothers faced challenges due to lack of control over their daily work schedule and demands, along with an increased burden of unpaid household work, leading to difficulties in managing their work schedule and negotiating their professional role identity within the family. These findings emphasize that working mothers who participated in involuntary telecommuting encountered bidirectional time-based conflicts and unidirectional strain-based conflict. Research limitations/implications: The study examines a particular subset of women telecommuters who were working mothers with young children. These potential limitations are to be addressed in future research. Practical implications: The findings suggest that managers should develop HR policies and telecommuting ecosystems in order to enhance effectiveness of telecommuting. Specifically, organizations offering telecommuting work options should create opportunities for informal interaction among peers and formal one-to-one interaction with managers. Moreover, HR managers should develop and implement employee-friendly telecommuting policies. Social implications: The research contributes to HRM and gender literature. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the discourses of work-life balance, workplace relationships and work policies within telecommuting literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Animal studies are an indispensable part of fundamental and applied research essential for the advancement of human and veterinary health, including the current global quest for treatments and a vaccine development to combat the infectious diseases. This necessity is now clearly highlighted by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic More recently a growing number of studies are published on this theme. Therefore, a bibliometric analysis of research on "Animal models in Covid-19" research is necessary and it is likely to focus on current status of research and indicate future direction in this study. Materials and Methods: The India's originated literature is searched on "Animal Models in Covid-19" using two set of keywords related to Covid-19 and animals in "Keyword" and "Title" (Title of articles) tags to reach the relevant publications. VOSviewer was applied to perform the bibliometric analysis of these articles. Bibliographical data obtained from above search strategy was analysed by using well-established bibliometric indices. Results: The bibliometric analysis of India's literature on the topic "Animal Models in Covid-19" research indicates that there were 2343 India's publications indexed in Scopus database during 2020-21. The topic witnessed the uneven participation of more than 160 countries, where 88.63% and more than 100.0% share of the global publications and citations share caming from top 10 countries. USA leads the ranking with global publication share of 28.16% share, followed by China (13.30%, U.K. (10.67%), Italy (9.93%). India's research output on this topic registered 7.46% share to global output. The 496 organizations and 869 authors participated in India's research on "Animal Model in Covid-19", of which the top 25 Indian organizations and 25 authors contributed 46.58% and 22.60% share to India's national publication output and 61.19% and 48.8% share to India's citation output respectively. AIIMS - New Delhi, PGIMER-Chandigarh, and IVRI-Bareilly were the most productive organizations (with 118, 115 and 68 publications). IVRIBareilly, PGIMER-Chandigarh and College of Veterinary Science, Mathura were the impactful organizations in terms of citation per paper and relative citation index. K. Dharma, R. Tiwari and Y.S. Malik were the most productive authors (with 63, 35 and 27 papers). H. Harapan, A.K.Singh and A Misra were the most impactful authors (with 90.42, 88.20 and 73.31 CPP). International Journal of Research in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Indian Journal of Medical Research and Diabetes and Metabolic Syndromes. Clinical Research and Review were the most productive journals (with 72, 56 and 50 papers). Conclusion: The paper provides a understanding of the current research on animal models presently used in Covid-19 research in India, identify key players and their collaboration patterns and key sub-fields, which may be useful to practicing scholars and clinicians to advance their future research in a more effective manner and to policymakers in deciding the area of research to be funded in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a hybrid model of teaching and learning that proposes new possibilities for exchanging tangible and intangible cross-cultural knowledge in textile craft education. The paper aims to demonstrate how online platforms can be used creatively to disseminate traditional craft knowledge and skills in new ways. The discussion centres on a unique virtual global studio between fashion and textile undergraduate students at the University of Technology Sydney and on an artisanal woodblock print studio, Tharangini, based in Bengaluru (Bangalore), India. The hybrid workshop was an adaptation of the studio in response to travel restrictions caused by the pandemic. The author argues that while the internet cannot replace the immersive cultural experience of studying in another country, digital platforms have a place alongside teaching to offer otherwise impossible opportunities. This paper explores a methodology for disseminating craft knowledge and skills across cultures through a combination of online and in-house practicum. Classes were structured around weekly Zoom sessions with Director Padmini Govind, where sustainable approaches to print production were disseminated through a suite of commissioned films and hand-carved woodblocks to explore on campus. The results show how this unique adaptation allowed students to interact with the artisan craft of woodblock printing in rich and varied ways, and it proposes that this novel hybrid model can be creatively adapted to future craft education in the 2020s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deploys the containment principle by Della Croce and Nicole-Berva (2021) to adjudicate COVID-19 non-conformity in India. The paper argues that the containment principle offers a guide to evaluating pandemic legislation and outlines the duties of the state. It then evaluates the Indian Pandemic response and legislation against the containment principles and finds it arbitrary, arguing that the discretionary power vested in the state enables it to treat two instances of COVID-19 non-conformities, the Tablighi Jamaat and the Kumbh, differently. The non-conformity of the devotees and the deviance of the state can be read within a framework of exceptionalism, collective irrationality, and conspiracy theories that firstly enables the devotees to maintain a sense of invulnerability, and secondly, allows the state to blame the minority community for threatening its exceptional status. These acts of non-conformities constitute disobedience against containment principles that are unjustifiable and demonstrate a moral failure to not harm others and a failure of the state to equally distribute benefits and burdens of pandemic policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper investigates the dynamic nature of risk in pre-, during- and post-COVID duration. It investigates how commercial office portfolio stakeholders in India perceived risk during the COVID pandemic, their risk response and mitigation strategies, and emerging structural changes that would impact the commercial office portfolio (COP) in the post-COVID period. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative and applied research method is adopted for the study. Through purposive sampling, commercial office portfolio stakeholders were selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire having two parts. In the first part, risk attributes were accessed on the Likert scale and in the second part there were open-ended questions. Findings: The uncertainty during the COVID period increased the risk perception significantly. There was a sense of urgency to retain the tenants, preserve the headline rentals and keep the properties operational. COP managers were forthcoming to offer rent deferments, common area maintenance discounts and upgrades in the physical office in form of touchless equipment, better air filters, etc. Post-pandemic there would be extensive use of technology and data for facility management and space utilization analytics; mainstreaming of hybrid working and flexible office spaces; increased certification of buildings; adoption of ESG and sustainability norms; and better-designed buildings with a focus on EHS and wellbeing. Practical implications: Identifying structural changes in the post-pandemic period will help the COP managers to align their portfolios to the emerging office market requirements. Originality/value: This study helps in developing an understanding of the dynamic nature of the risk across pre-, during- and post-COVID periods. And risk responses and mitigation strategies adopted during the COVID period in an emerging market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Químico-Farmacéuticas is the property of Universidad Nacional de Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper examines productivity performance of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) vis-à-vis large firms in India's organised manufacturing sector in the backdrop of COVID-19. To address simultaneity and endogeneity associated with firm size and productivity, the paper applies the Levinsohn and Petrin method to an unbalanced panel to estimate the production function and calculate the total factor productivity (TFP). The results suggest that productivity levels in financial years 2012 to 2022 were comparable between MSME firms and large firms, with the latter performing marginally better. TFP growth stagnated in the pre-pandemic period for both MSMEs and large firms. Post-COVID-19, productivity increased for both large firms and MSMEs, with productivity growth in MSMEs catching up with that of large firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The present study examines the publication output of authors from India on the topic of "Covid-19 and Psychology" using bibliometric methods. Methods: The publications as listed in Scopus database were identified by using "Covid-19" and its synonyms keywords in "Keyword" and "Title" tags. The results obtained were further restricted to subject "Psychology" under subject tag and country to India. Results: 372 publications emerged in the last 2 years on the topic of "Covid-19 and Psychology", accounting to 4.63% share of global output. About 9.95% and 25.81% share of Indian publications received external funding support and involved international collaboration, respectively. The author's from 277 organizations and 416 authors participated unevenly in the research in this area. The highest number of publications emerged from National Institute of Mental Health and Allied Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangaluru, followed by Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar. Authors from Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), Pondicherry had highest impact in terms of citations per paper and relative citation index, followed by authors from King George's Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow, and Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal. The journals that published the highest number of publications were Asian Journal of Psychiatry (158 papers), Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine (44 papers), and Frontier in Psychology (18 papers). The most commonly investigated topics in terms of frequency of appearances of keywords were mental health (93), followed by anxiety (80), mental disease (68), depression (64), mental stress (34), and social isolation. Conclusion: Over the last 2 years a large number of publications have emerged in the area of COVID-19 and psychology from India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The paper assesses the India's research output on "Impact of Covid-19 on Mental Health" indexed in Scopus database. Materials and Methods: The Scopus database was used to search for the articles published from India. Results: The search showed that since the onset of the pandemic upto 24th of April 2021, 1210 publications emerged from India, amounting to 6.87% share of the global output on the topic and averaged 5.97 citations per paper. India stood at 5th position in terms of number of publications on mental health, with highest number of publications emerging from United States (26.9%), followed by United Kingdom (13.35%), China (9.83%) and Italy (8.27%). About one-third (30.91%) of the publications involved international collaborations, with maximum number of collaborations were with United States, followed by United Kingdom, Australia, Italy, Canada, and Brazil. The most common keywords in the research included, 'mental health', followed by 'anxiety' and 'depression'. The research output came from 478 organizations, with maximum research coming from National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi and Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh. About three-fourth (76.85%) of the mental health research emerged from institute other than these 3 institutes. Five out of the 10 most productive authors and 5 out of the most impactful authors were from institutes other than the 3 major institutes. Conclusion: To conclude, this bibliometric analysis suggest that, researchers from India contributed to about 7% of the global mental health research on Covid-19 and India stood at 5th position among the various countries in terms of global mental health research on Covid-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goods and Services Tax (GST) completed its four years in July 2021. It was expected that by implementing GST in the country, the governments (Central and States) would be able to solve many tax-related problems such as tax evasion, cascading effect, increasing competition among states for inviting investment, and most importantly increasing states' tax revenue, more autonomy and expenditure. Has the imposition of GST in India impacted the tax revenue of states? Has the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic impacted the GST of all the states and union territories? The paper deals with these specific questions constituting a sample of all states and some union territories for the period 2015 to 2021 categorized into pre-GST (2015-2017) and post-GST (2017-2021) period. The secondary data comprises average proportion of own tax revenue of states in their total revenue, and the data has been analyzed to find out whether imposition of GST has impacted the collection of own tax revenue of states, and whether the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the collection of SGST and UTGST of states and union territories. The tools and techniques applied for testing the hypothesis are Wilcoxon Sign Rank Test, paired t-test and Kruskal-Wallis H-test. The findings reveal that imposition of GST has no significant impact on own tax revenue of states, but Covid-19 significantly impacted SGST and UTGST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the enactment of successive legislations in 1993 and 2013, the dehumanising occupational practice of manual scavenging still persists in India. As members of the Dalit community, manual scavengers continue to confront issues such as marginalisation and gross violation of their dignity. This paper critically examines the socio-legal status of manual scavengers in India by assessing key determinants including the legislative and regulatory measures, the role of the judiciary and civil society, as well as the widely celebrated Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Additionally, the paper provides an empirical analysis of the struggles faced by manual scavengers as frontline workers during the unprecedented humanitarian crisis of COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Academica Turistica is the property of University of Primorska, Faculty of Tourism Studies - Turistica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: As Covid-19 became a pandemic, numerous people were forced to stay at home, leading to increased intimate partner violence (IPV) in many countries, particularly in developing and least-developed ones. This paper aims to highlight the IPV based on 15 different cases formed from the practical evidence of five developing countries. Design/methodology/approach: The authors interviewed 15 women from five countries who were the victims of IPV during the early periods of Covid-19 outbreak. Due to geographical remoteness, the authors conducted informal telephone interviews to collect the participants' personal experiences. The conversations were recorded with participants' permission; afterwards, the authors summarized participants' experiences into 15 different cases without revealing their original identities (instead, disguised names were used). Findings: It was revealed that the women were the primary victims of such violence, particularly from their intimate partners (husbands). In most cases, such IPV, as reported by the interviewees, originated or increased after the pandemic when they were forced to stay at home, losing their partners' jobs or income sources. Originality/value: The authors summarized the causes of IPV and put forward a few action recommendations based on the interviewees' practical experience and existing literature. This paper will open a new window for research investigations on IPV during emergencies such as Covid-19 outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examines how Hindu nationalist social service organizations, specifically the Deseeya Seva Bharathi (DSB), reconfigured the religious conception of 'Seva' to advance the project of constructing a Hindu social identity during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state of Kerala. The southern Indian state of Kerala has remained an exception in the story of the rise of the Hindu nationalist movement in contemporary India, which has repeatedly failed to make any considerable political inroads in the state. However, the disastrous economic consequences and livelihood challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic in the state, which was heavily dependent on foreign remittance and service industries, have opened up new spaces of engagement for Hindu nationalists. Drawing on the fieldwork conducted in central Kerala during the pandemic, this paper will elaborate on how the DSB used the crisis moment of the pandemic to reach out to economically and socially disadvantaged communities using the language of 'Seva' to build a Hindu social identity, which imbues the influence of majoritarian Hindu nationalist politics. The paper argues that the DSB's articulation of 'Seva' as a distinct and superior form of social service that is 'self-less', 'non-instrumental' and 'non-reciprocal' is significant in understanding the growing appeal of Hindu nationalist social service in the contested political sphere of Kerala, which is marked by competing social provisions by the state as well as other secular and religious groups. The paper notes that the reconfiguration of 'Seva' as a continuous religious concept enables Hindu nationalists to attain greater acceptance and legitimacy that even the secular state welfare could not achieve, while also concealing the inherent instrumental nature of its social service towards the construction of a Hindu social identity in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Triage is a dynamic and complex decision-making process to determine fair access to medical care in mass casualty situations. Triage takes place through healthcare settings including Intensive Care Units (ICUs). Triage governing principles have been subject to ethical debates for a long time specifically with the recent global pandemic of COVID-19. This study aims to revisit the ethical principles guiding patient prioritisation during recent COVID-19 disaster triage in the Indian subcontinent and attempts to look for principles with consideration of social justice. Methods: Key electronic databases such as WHO, EMBASE, and DOAJ were used to access published literature relating to ICU triage in the Indian subcontinent. Literature on and from 2015–2022 were included in this study. The SPICE framework was used to identify the literature. The Inclusion criteria were as follows: Literature with ethical connotations focusing on India and neighbouring countries, and in an ICU setting during pandemics. The Exclusion criteria were as follows: Literature focusing on other countries, without ethical foundations, hospital admissions, and non-COVID-19 ICU admissions. The PRISMA standard was applied to screen the appropriate literature. The BOOLEAN operator "OR" was used to enhance the literature search. Finally, six papers were found suitable for this study and thus were included in the literature review. Additionally, for the second time, the frequency of certain ethical phrases was reassessed in the plans and guidelines to check the changed awareness of ethical pandemic planning, if any. A thematic analysis was applied to analyse the data and generate findings and new knowledge. Results: The findings highlight gaps in knowledge around ICU triaging in the region which indicates the scope of better ethical pandemic preparation at the regional level. The findings show that there is a debate between researchers on prioritisation from available resources and ethical perspectives and principles associated with fair access to healthcare even during pandemic times. The literature also highlights enhancing the regional capacity and building equitable approaches to reduce existing health inequities and the need of the social justice framework for ICU triaging during a pandemic. Conclusions: ICU triaging in five South Asian neighbour nations was studied for the presence of a guided ethical framework. Additionally, for the second time, certain ethical phrases were reassessed in the plans and guidelines; however, usage of those terms was found to be significantly low. The discussion shows that the plans and guidelines have the scope to improve ethical ICU triaging in these countries and in the specific region. After analysing different ethical guidelines, this study emphasises that there is a need for a just and fair framework, specifically a social justice framework in ICU triage in the subcontinent to address the underlying health inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the association of COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths with mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms for the USA, the UK, India and worldwide using Google Trends. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use Spearman's rank correlation coefficients to assess the relationship between relative search volumes (RSVs) and mental health, unemployment and financial markets-related search terms, with the total confirmed COVID-19 cases as well as deaths in the USA, UK, India and worldwide. The sample period starts from the day 100 cases were reported for the first time, which is 7 March 2020, 13 March 2020, 23 March 2020 and 28 January 2020 for the US, the UK, India and worldwide, respectively, and ends on 25 June 2020. Findings: The results indicate a significant increase in anxiety, depression and stress leading to sleeping disorders or insomnia, further deteriorating mental health. The RSVs of employment are negatively significant, implying that people are hesitant to search for new jobs due to being susceptible to exposure, imposed lockdown and social distancing measures and changing employment patterns. The RSVs for financial terms exhibit the varying associations of COVID-19 cases and deaths with the stock market, loans, rent, etc. Research limitations/implications: This study has implications for the policymakers, health experts and the government. The state governments must provide proper medical facilities and holistic care to the affected population. It may be noted that the findings of this study only lead us to conclude about the relationship between COVID-19 cases and deaths and Google Trends searches, and do not as such indicate the effect on actual behaviour. Originality/value: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to investigate the relationship between the number of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the USA, UK and India and at the global level and RSVs for mental health-related, job-related and financial keywords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Many viral and bacterial respiratory tract infections can present with respiratory signs and progress to complicated pneumonia. In the recent Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is crucial to test all Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) patients for other microbial infections in addition to COVID-19, enabling timely diagnosis and treatment to reduce morbidity and mortality. The automated system, BioFire FilmArray, utilises multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to rapidly detect and identify multiple respiratory pathogens, including selected Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) genes, within an hour. Aim: To detect bacterial and/or viral pathogens associated with hospitalised COVID-19-negative SARI patients using the BioFire FilmArray Pneumonia Panel (BFPP). Materials and Methods: This laboratory-based cross-sectional study was conducted at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Nagpur, Maharashtra, India, from June 2020 to February 2021. Respiratory samples, such as sputum, tracheal aspirate, Endotracheal (ET) secretions, and Bronchoalveolar Lavage (BAL), were collected from COVID-19-negative hospitalised SARI cases. A total of 81 patients were included in the study. The samples were tested using the BFPP (multiplex PCR) system and processed using conventional culture techniques. Patient characteristics, clinical and laboratory investigation data, and findings of respiratory viral and bacterial agents, as well as antibiotic resistance genes detected by BioFire FilmArray, were recorded using paper case reports. The data were collected and analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software. Results: Out of the 81 clinical samples processed, the BFPP detected 168 bacterial and 18 viral pathogens. Bacterial-viral codetection was observed in 13 (16%) samples. Atypical bacteria were detected in 3% of cases. Among the bacterial pathogens, the AMR gene for New Delhi Metallo-beta-lactamases (NDM) was detected in 42 (25.9%) cases, followed by CTX-M betalactamases, VIM, and the oxacillinase group of β-lactamases. Conclusion: The BFPP test is a valuable tool for the rapid detection of a wide range of pathogens, including associated AMR genes, with high sensitivity and specificity. This can greatly aid in treatment decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The study focuses on examining the impact of the supply shock on the Indian macroeconomic variables during the COVID-19 period. Design/methodology/approach: Time-varying factor augmented vector autoregressive model has been employed to study the asymmetry in transmission of supply shock on Indian economy during pre- and post-COVID-19 times. Findings: The authors find that with supply shock, retail food inflation outpaced in COVID-19 times. Production levels reported by IIP fell to abysmally low levels in the post-COVID-19 times when the economy stalled. The liquidity stimulus provided by the central bank led to the negative response of policy rates to the supply shocks during the COVID-19 times. Originality/value: The study stands novel in examining the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Indian economy through the lenses of asymmetric transmission of supply shock during pre- and post-COVID-19 times. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted organizations, bringing in unforeseen situations and highlighting the need for organizational leaders to develop a capacity for resilience, i.e. the ability to recuperate, exhibit agility and rebound. Hence, this paper aims to explore leaders' views on what resilience capabilities are needed to manage themselves, the team and the organization. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative research study uses an in-depth interview tool and adopts a reflexive thematic analysis. The capabilities approach and resilience theory framework were applied to view resilience capabilities. The sample comprises 19 middle and senior leaders, both men and women, from the information technology Industry in India. Findings: This study unravelled different capabilities to manage individuals, teams and organizations. The three key themes of resilience capabilities observed were as follows: self-leadership capabilities – where leaders focussed on capabilities that developed themselves; people leadership capabilities – which focussed on leading people and the team; and organisation-focussed leadership capabilities – which focussed on the macro level. Originality/value: The findings of the study benefit organizations, leaders, human resource professionals, talent management strategists and academic leadership scholars to identify, train, conceive and deliver resilience capabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of the present study is to contribute to the debate on innovative work behaviour (IWB). Employees are expected to exhibit innovative behaviour that can realize, sustain and implement new ideas. This study explores the role of workplace spirituality (WPS) in advancing employees' innovative work behaviour (IWB). Furthermore, this study investigates how employees' perceived working conditions moderate the relationship between WPS and IWB. Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprised 516 employees working in different supply chain companies in India. The researchers used correlation, hierarchical regression analysis and the PROCESS macro in SPSS. Findings: The results highlighted that the four measurements of WPS (Swadharma, a sense of community, authenticity and Lokasangraha) significantly predict IWB among employees of selected companies. Also, the results suggested the significant moderating effects of decision authority, social support and autonomy on IWB. Originality/value: Drawing from broaden and build theory and theory of intangible resources, the present study demonstrates that WPS positively impacts the employee's IWB. Further, this paper also shows the moderating effects of three dimensions of perceived working conditions between WPS and IWB, which is under-explored in previous research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]