Detrimental Views on Perceived Risks and their Influence on Travel Decisions

This study, therefore, proposes to identify and investigate the risk perception dimensions of tourists travelling from South India and to determine the influence that these dimensions can have on tourist behaviour. The primary data was gathered through a survey, involving a scheduled questionnaire. Based on the nature of the data collected, data analysis techniques such as Cross Tabulation, Independent Sample t-Test and One-way ANOVA Test were employed to identify characters of heterogeneity among tourist groups based on the risk perception dimensions

Brief note on the ribbonfish Tentoriceps cristatus from the southwest coast of India

Tentoriceps cristatus (Klunzinger, 1884) commonly called as crested hair tail is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish family Trichiuridae. During the experimental fishery survey conducted by FV Silver pompano on 28 September 2016, specimens were obtained in the trawl net operated off Alappuzha (09º 21'N, 75º 56'E and 09º 21'N, 76º 18' E) at a depth of 50- 60m along with other fishes and crustaceans

Multiorgan MRI findings after hospitalisation with COVID-19 in the UK (C-MORE): a prospective, multicentre, observational cohort study

Introduction: The multiorgan impact of moderate to severe coronavirus infections in the post-acute phase is still poorly understood. We aimed to evaluate the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities after hospitalisation with COVID-19, evaluate their determinants, and explore associations with patient-related outcome measures. Methods: In a prospective, UK-wide, multicentre MRI follow-up study (C-MORE), adults (aged ≥18 years) discharged from hospital following COVID-19 who were included in Tier 2 of the Post-hospitalisation COVID-19 study (PHOSP-COVID) and contemporary controls with no evidence of previous COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody negative) underwent multiorgan MRI (lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys) with quantitative and qualitative assessment of images and clinical adjudication when relevant. Individuals with end-stage renal failure or contraindications to MRI were excluded. Participants also underwent detailed recording of symptoms, and physiological and biochemical tests. The primary outcome was the excess burden of multiorgan abnormalities (two or more organs) relative to controls, with further adjustments for potential confounders. The C-MORE study is ongoing and is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04510025. Findings: Of 2710 participants in Tier 2 of PHOSP-COVID, 531 were recruited across 13 UK-wide C-MORE sites. After exclusions, 259 C-MORE patients (mean age 57 years [SD 12]; 158 [61%] male and 101 [39%] female) who were discharged from hospital with PCR-confirmed or clinically diagnosed COVID-19 between March 1, 2020, and Nov 1, 2021, and 52 non-COVID-19 controls from the community (mean age 49 years [SD 14]; 30 [58%] male and 22 [42%] female) were included in the analysis. Patients were assessed at a median of 5·0 months (IQR 4·2–6·3) after hospital discharge. Compared with non-COVID-19 controls, patients were older, living with more obesity, and had more comorbidities. Multiorgan abnormalities on MRI were more frequent in patients than in controls (157 [61%] of 259 vs 14 [27%] of 52; p<0·0001) and independently associated with COVID-19 status (odds ratio [OR] 2·9 [95% CI 1·5–5·8]; padjusted=0·0023) after adjusting for relevant confounders. Compared with controls, patients were more likely to have MRI evidence of lung abnormalities (p=0·0001; parenchymal abnormalities), brain abnormalities (p<0·0001; more white matter hyperintensities and regional brain volume reduction), and kidney abnormalities (p=0·014; lower medullary T1 and loss of corticomedullary differentiation), whereas cardiac and liver MRI abnormalities were similar between patients and controls. Patients with multiorgan abnormalities were older (difference in mean age 7 years [95% CI 4–10]; mean age of 59·8 years [SD 11·7] with multiorgan abnormalities vs mean age of 52·8 years [11·9] without multiorgan abnormalities; p<0·0001), more likely to have three or more comorbidities (OR 2·47 [1·32–4·82]; padjusted=0·0059), and more likely to have a more severe acute infection (acute CRP >5mg/L, OR 3·55 [1·23–11·88]; padjusted=0·025) than those without multiorgan abnormalities. Presence of lung MRI abnormalities was associated with a two-fold higher risk of chest tightness, and multiorgan MRI abnormalities were associated with severe and very severe persistent physical and mental health impairment (PHOSP-COVID symptom clusters) after hospitalisation. Interpretation: After hospitalisation for COVID-19, people are at risk of multiorgan abnormalities in the medium term. Our findings emphasise the need for proactive multidisciplinary care pathways, with the potential for imaging to guide surveillance frequency and therapeutic stratification

Xyloglucan-based polymers and nanocomposites – modification, properties and barrier film applications

Biopolymers from renewable resources are of interest for packaging applications as an alternative to conventional petroleum-based polymers. One of the major application areas for biopolymers is food packaging, where a candidate polymer should meet critical requirements such as mechanical and oxygen barrier performance, also in humid conditions. Starch has long been used in certain packaging applications, either in plasticized state or blended with other polymers. However, native starch has high sensitivity to water and low mechanical and barrier performance. Recently, wood-derived hemicelluloses have been extensively studied as oxygen barrier films, but suffer from low film-forming ability and mechanical performance. In the present study, xyloglucan (XG) from tamarind seed waste is explored as an alternative high-performance biopolymer in packaging applications. The obstacles of polysaccharides in terms of moisture sensitivity and processability are addressed in this thesis. In Paper I, film properties of XG were studied. XG has a cellulose backbone, but unlike cellulose, it is mostly soluble in water forming highly robust films. Moisture sorption isotherms, tensile tests and dynamic mechanical thermal analysis were performed. Enzymatic modification (partial removal of galactose in side chains of XG) was performed to study the effect of galactose on solubility and filmforming characteristics. XG films showed lower moisture sorption than starch. Stiffness and tensile strength were very high of the order of 4 GPa and 70 MPa respectively, with considerable ductility and toughness. The thermomechanical performance was very high with a softening temperature near 260 ºC. In Paper II, several plasticizers were studied in order to facilitate thermal processing of XG films: sorbitol, urea, glycerol and polyethylene oxide. Films of different compositions were prepared and studied for thermomechanical and tensile properties. Highly favorable characteristics were found with XG/sorbitol system. A large drop in glass transition temperature (Tg) of XG of the order of 100 ºC with 20 - 30 wt% sorbitol was observed with an attractive combination of increased toughness. In Paper III, XG was chemically modified and the structure-property relationship of modified XG studied. XG modification was performed using an approach involving periodate oxidation followed by reduction. The oxidation is highly regioselective, where the side chains of XG are mostly affected with the cellulose backbone well-preserved as noticed from MALDI-TOF-MS and carbohydrate analysis. Films were cast from water and characterized by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, dynamic water vapor sorption, oxygen transmission analysis and tensile tests. Property changes were interpreted from structural changes. The regioselective modification results in new types of cellulose derivatives without the need for harmful solvents. In Paper IV, moisture durability of XG was addressed by dispersing montmorillonite (MTM) platelets in water suspension. Oriented bionanocomposite coatings with strong in-plane orientation of clay platelets were prepared. A continuous water-based processing approach was adopted in view of easy scaling up. The resulting nanocomposites were characterized by FE-SEM, TEM, and XRD. XG adsorption on MTM was measured by quartz crystal microbalance analysis. Mechanical and gas barrier properties were measured, also at high relative humidity. The reinforcement in mechanical properties and effects on barrier properties were remarkable, also in humid conditions. In Paper V, cross-linked XG/MTM composite was prepared with high clay content (ca. 45 vol%) by an industrially scalable “paper-making” method. Instead of using cross-linking molecules, cross-linking sites were created on the XG chain by selective oxidation of side chains. The in-plane orientation of MTM platelets were studied using XRD and FE-SEM. The mechanical properties and barrier performance were evaluated for the resulting 'nacre-mimetic' nanocomposites. The elastic modulus of cross-linked nanocomposites is as high as 30 GPa, one of the stiffest bionanocomposites reported.QC 20121107</p

Not Available

Not AvailableTentoriceps cristatus (Klunzinger, 1884) commonly called as crested hair tail is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish family Trichiuridae. During the experimental fishery survey conducted by FV Silver pompano on 28 September 2016, specimens were obtained in the trawl net operated off Alappuzha (09º 21'N, 75º 56'E and 09º 21'N, 76º 18' E) at a depth of 50- 60m along with other fishes and crustaceans.Not Availabl

Not Available

Not AvailableTentoriceps cristatus (Klunzinger, 1884) commonly called as crested hair tail is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish family Trichiuridae. During the experimental fishery survey conducted by FV Silver pompano on 28 September 2016, specimens were obtained in the trawl net operated off Alappuzha (09º 21'N, 75º 56'E and 09º 21'N, 76º 18' E) at a depth of 50- 60m along with other fishes and crustaceans.Not Availabl