Remote Religion / Remote Region: Practicing and Researching Remote Religion in the Andaman Islands

Remoteness is an attribute that has often been negatively attached to island-spaces like the Andaman Islands, separated from the Indian mainland by the vast Bay of Bengal, located at the ‘liquid borderlands’ of South and Southeast Asia. The Covid-19 pandemic, on the other hand, has popularised the use of ‘remote’ methods of enabling religio-social interaction. The islanders of these geographically ‘remote’ locations use these ‘remote’ ways of connecting to perform their religious practices and maintain their faith networks, which is otherwise compromised due to the pandemic-induced restrictions on social gatherings. By exploring the ‘online’ global faith networks of the little-known Matua religion, as well as, the social, technical and logistical constraints in the devotees’ access to ‘remote’ religion, the paper addresses two questions: first, how do individuals play out their identities, both as islander and as devotee, ‘online’; second, what are the corresponding technological and logistical conditions that enable their ‘presence’ and who are the ‘absent’ actors. Drawing from remotely collected data, particularly online ethnography and telephonic interviews, the paper explores the mediating role of technology in destabilizing, as well as, solidifying concepts of remoteness and isolation, particularly in the peripheries of nation, during times of restricted mobility.

Muscles in Winter: The Epigenetics of Metabolic Arrest

The winter months are challenging for many animal species, which often enter a state of dormancy or hypometabolism to “wait out” the cold weather, food scarcity, reduced daylight, and restricted mobility that can characterize the season. To survive, many species use metabolic rate depression (MRD) to suppress nonessential metabolic processes, conserving energy and limiting tissue atrophy particularly of skeletal and cardiac muscles. Mammalian hibernation is the best recognized example of winter MRD, but some turtle species spend the winter unable to breathe air and use MRD to survive with little or no oxygen (hypoxia/anoxia), and various frogs endure the freezing of about two-thirds of their total body water as extracellular ice. These winter survival strategies are highly effective, but create physiological and metabolic challenges that require specific biochemical adaptive strategies. Gene-related processes as well as epigenetic processes can lower the risk of atrophy during prolonged inactivity and limited nutrient stores, and DNA modifications, mRNA storage, and microRNA action are enacted to maintain and preserve muscle. This review article focuses on epigenetic controls on muscle metabolism that regulate MRD to avoid muscle atrophy and support winter survival in model species of hibernating mammals, anoxia-tolerant turtles and freeze-tolerant frogs. Such research may lead to human applications including muscle-wasting disorders such as sarcopenia, or other conditions of limited mobility.

Understanding the Multiple Factor Determining of Z Generation to Hotel Staycation During Covid-19 Pandemic

The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on restricted mobility, as well as a devastating economic development in various sectors, have change renewed interest in the future of tourism, especially in Hospitality Industry. This study sought to examine the Theory of Planned Behavior in the context of hotel staycation during the Covid-19 pandemic. Paired t-tests and the structural equation modelling were applied to assess the 246 responses of Z generations in Indonesia for the first and second quarters of 2021. The finding showed that attitude, perceived behavioral control, and subjective norms affect the hotel staycation intention during a pandemic for Z generations. Perceived behavioral control plays the most significant part. Several findings are provided on how the generation perceives traveling during the COVID-19 pandemic and how to encourage them to resume traveling after the travel restriction is lifted. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. The viewpoint proffered in this study provides scopes of the hospitality industry in terms of hotel staycation programs to maintain a resilient economic strategy during the pandemic.

Appliance Control with IOT-Arduino of Voice Command Detection for Mobility Impaired People

People with physical mobility disabilities experience limited ability to perform daily routine. Integration between home appliances and Internet of Thing (IoT) can be used to support these people. The technology allows tasks to be performed much more easily and enable access to applications and services that would be a challenge with existing digital user interfaces. However, the developed system that is commercially available is costly and equipped with highly specific interfaces which may require considerable technical competency to conduct system interfacing. The purpose of this study is to develop a low cost IOT system for voice-enabled lamp control by utilizing Google Assistant that is available in commercial Android based mobile devices, allowing user to operate lighting appliances without moving. Personal assistance using Google platform embedded with Arduino microcontroller, ESP8266-based NodeMCU development board and integrated Blynk application allow for remote monitoring capability. The system is remotely controlled from a tablet or smartphone to assist disabled people with restricted mobility, in particular those with lower limb disabilities. The system had been tested and demonstrated that the lamp control can be easily accessed by voice command that is then validated using voice pitch analyzer. Test result indicated that capability of the integrated voice control system is verified up to a maximum distance of 24.5 meter, making it a potential implementation in any customized smart home or room system for people with mobile disability.

Effect of COVID-19 on vaccination coverage in Brazil

During the COVID-19 pandemic, recommendations for maintaining physical distance, restricted mobility measures, as well as fear of mass transmission by going to health centers have significantly contributed to the general vaccination coverage, which by and large is decreasing worldwide; thus, favoring the potential re-emergence of vaccine-preventable diseases. In this study, we have used the existing data on vaccination coverage during the pre-pandemic (2019) as well as the pandemic (2020) period to evaluate the impact of coronavirus outbreaks during the vaccination drive in Brazil. Furthermore, we have accumulated data since 2015 among the different regions of the country to acquire more consistent information. The various vaccines analyzed in our study were meningococcal C conjugate, Triple antigen vaccine, 10-valent pneumococcal conjugate, and BCG; subsequently, the data were obtained from the National Disease Notification System. This study revealed that the ongoing immunization drive saw a steep decline of around 10 to 20% during the (2019–2020) pandemic period in Brazil. These results provide strong evidence towards the decreasing trends following the vaccination programs during the COVID-19 pandemic period in Brazil. Furthermore, our results also highlight the importance of adopting widespread multi-component interventions to improve vaccination uptake rates.

Management of Septic Arthritis in Emergency Department

Bacterial arthritis is an inflammation of the joints caused by an infectious etiology, usually bacterial, but there are also fungi, mycobacteria, viruses, or other rare pathogens. Both healthy and predisposed people can be infected. Nongonococcal infectious arthritis, usually a monoarticular disease, affects multiple joints in about 10% of patients and is a new form of septic arthritis. Without treatment, it can progress rapidly and cause irreversible damage to the joints. The overall incidence of bacterial arthritis is 2 to 6 per 100,000, depending on the presence of risk factors. Bacterial arthritis is more common in children than in adults. The incidence of septic arthritis peaks between the ages of 2 and 3 and is predominantly male (2: 1). Most septic joints develop as a result of hematogenous dissemination of the vascular synovium due to bacterial episodes. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and corticosteroid therapy are the most common predisposing conditions. Typical symptoms of acute septic arthritis without gonorrhea include recent fever, malaise, and local findings of pain, warmth, swelling, and restricted mobility of the affected joint. Accurate history and assessment of risk factors can provide important clues for diagnosis. Careful assessment of risk factors can significantly change the likelihood of a provider developing septic arthritis prior to testing. Laboratory findings, diagnostic imaging, and synovial fluid assessment are all useful for diagnosis. Management components include early detection and treatment with joint aspiration, antibiotics, and orthopedic advice for possible surgical management. Widespread antibiotics are often needed due to the potential for rapid joint destruction. A combination of cefepime or anti-Pseudomonas aeruginosa beta-lactams and vancomycin is recommended to cover both Gram-negative and MRSA bacteria.

Women’s Home-Based Entrepreneurship and Family Financial Position in Pakistan

Women’s entrepreneurship is critical for fostering economic growth and inclusive development globally. Women’s home-based businesses are crucial for women with restricted mobility and employment options to earn an income in developing countries. This study considers the impact of women’s home-based entrepreneurship on their family’s financial position. We collected data from 504 women entrepreneurs in Mardan City, Pakistan using a questionnaire/interview procedure. Chi-square and logistic regression were used to analyze the predictors of family financial position. The results showed that women entrepreneurs’ age, marital status, homeownership, rural versus urban location, household size, and business income significantly affect their family’s financial position. The findings revealed that women entrepreneurs have a substantial impact on the financial position and welfare of their families consistent with the multiplier effect ascribed to women in entrepreneurship. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

Co-relation of functional mobility with anxiety in traumatic below knee amputees

Background: Amputation is defined as the surgical removal of one or more parts of the body. It causes great stress to the physical and mental wellbeing of an individual. The incidence of lower limb amputation is greater as compared to upper limb amputation. Also lower limb amputees experience more restricted mobility than upper limb amputee patients. Rehabilitation is an important to the recovery of an amputee. In cases of planned amputation, rehabilitation starts before the surgery. It involves physiotherapy, occupational therapy and recreational training. There is little to no studies on the co-relation of anxiety with functional mobility in amputees. This study focusses on the same. Context and purpose: Amputation causes restricted mobility and decreased quality of life. A study on the relation between anxiety and mobility will indicate a different outlook of a holistic approach while treating mobility issues in below knee amputees. Materials and methods: This is a one group co-relational study design. Study was conducted after taking approval from the institutional ethics committee and all the subjects gave their written informed consent. The study was conducted at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital, Pune. Result: Statistical analysis of the data was done using the Pearson’s co-relation co-efficient and a co-relation was found between anxiety and functional mobility in below knee amputee patients. Conclusion: There is a co-relation between functional mobility and anxiety. Patients with anxiety showed a reduced performance on the functional mobility scale than the patients without anxiety. KEY WORDS: Amputation, Anxiety, below knee amputation, functional mobility, rehabilitation.

Climate Change, Obesity, and COVID-19—Global Crises with Catastrophic Consequences. Is This the Future?

Climate change and obesity were considered threats to our planet long before the onset of COVID-19. The recent pandemic has enhanced the global burden of both pre-existing crises. The aim of this narrative review is to explore the interaction between the three concurrent crises and the future of our planet should they not be dealt with accordingly. A PubMed and Google Scholar literature search was performed using different combinations of search strategies and using the keywords “obesity”, “climate/temperature change”, “cold/hot temperatures”, and “COVID-19”. High global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions link obesity and climate change as a result of the interplay between biological and behavioural factors. COVID-19 mitigation measures have indirectly impacted obesity and GHG emissions through the shift in dietary habits, restricted mobility, the impact on healthcare services, and enhanced psychological stress. Furthermore, COVID-19 has a more detrimental effect if acquired by an obese individual, with a higher chance of hospitalization and mechanical ventilation. This leads to higher GHG emissions and negative repercussions on the climate. A tri-directional relationship exists between obesity, climate change, and COVID-19. Various factors contribute to this relationship, but unless urgent global integrated action plans are implemented that target all three calamities, and not just COVID-19, a devastating and unsustainable future may ensue.

Exploring the Daily Lives and Well-Being of Orphaned Adolescents Affected by the Armed Conflict in Thailand’s Deep South

Adolescents in Thailand’s Deep South are growing up amid protracted instability, yet limited research has left a critical gap in understanding their strengths, stressors, and unmet support needs. This study aimed to gain understanding of daily lives and well-being of orphaned adolescents in the Deep South to inform future intervention efforts. In total, 10 orphaned adolescents and their primary caregivers were recruited for study participation. Adolescents participated in a visual ethnography study over the course of 2 days to “ show us a day in your life with photos,” with follow-up interviews to discuss their photos. Caregivers participated in a focus group discussion about the challenges of caring for orphaned adolescents and supports that would be helpful in alleviating these challenges. Qualitative transcripts were coded by five researchers from multiple disciplines to identify emergent themes using a grounded theory approach. Themes included tension related to technology use, limited caregiver-adolescent communication, social isolation, financial hardship, and future aspirations. Lacking in peer social interaction, exploration, and opportunities to take risks, the atmosphere of restricted mobility has important implications for adolescents’ social development. Caregivers and their children have little family time for recreation and leisure that would provide opportunities to connect and navigate these issues.