Psycho-Take Corona and Fear Appeal: Psycho-Insights

Human being has been the most vulnerable lot amongst living species on earth. And all this is because human being has the ability to think! In fact, they think more, much more beyond requirement. Corona crisis gave humans ample time to think, yes, about pros and cons of different scenarios emerging and they tried their level best to cope up with such a situation. More so, interestingly, in this critical situation of CoViD lockdowns, there arose the psycho-connect, obviously not to be understood by the masses, but then as researchers and students of management or applied sciences, we chose to bring forward this unique write-up involving the ‘appeal’ parlance. The paper is based upon observations encountered during CoViD days right from March 2020 till today and tries to explore the situation through the ‘appeal’ lens

A Real-time Machine Learning Framework for Smart Home-based Yoga Teaching System

Practicing yoga poses in a home-based environment has increased due to Covid19. Yoga poses without a trainer can be challenging, and incorrect yoga poses can cause muscle damage. Smart home-based yoga teaching systems may aid in performing accurate yoga poses. However, the challenge with such systems is the computational time required to detect yoga poses. This research proposes a real-time machine learning framework for teaching accurate yoga poses. It combines a pose estimation model, a pose classification model, and a real-time feedback mechanism. The dataset consists of five popular yoga poses namely the downdog pose, the tree pose, the goddess pose, the plank pose, and the warrior pose. The BlazePose model was used for yoga pose estimation which transforms the image data into 3D landmark points. The output of the pose estimation model was then passed to the pose classification model for yoga pose detection. Four machine learning classifiers namely, Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, XGBoost, Decision Tree, and two neural network classifiers LSTM and CNN were evaluated based on accuracy, latency and size. Results demonstrate that XGBoost outperforms other models with an accuracy of 95.14 percentage, latency of 8 ms, and size of 513 KB. The output of the XGBoost Classifier was then used to correct yoga poses by displaying real-time feedback to the user. This novel framework has the potential to be integrated into mobile applications which can be used by people for the unsupervised practice of yoga at home

Work in Progress: A Virtual Educational Robotics Coding Club Framework to Improve K-6 Students Emotional Engagement in STEM

The growing popularity and deployment of Internet of Things (IoT) devices has led to serious security concerns. The integration of a security operations center (SOC) becomes increasingly important in this situation to ensure the security of IoT devices. In this article, we will present a summary of IoT device security issues, their vulnerabilities, a review of current challenges to keep these devices secure, and discuss the role that SOC can bring in protecting IoT devices while considering the challenges encountered and the directions to consider when implementing a reliable SOC for IoT monitoring

A Case Study on 21 st Century Skills Development Through a Computer Based Maths Game

International audienceThe new technology developments that are emerging on the market demand re-skilling and updating competencies thus enabling people to adapt to new expectations in the 21st century workplace and life. Therefore, the education system should also prepare learners for lifelong learning through development of 21st century skills. Recent research on mathematics education also shows that for many students, math is not considered an easy subject and students are facing difficulties in developing logical thinking and problem solving skills. This paper introduces "Count With Me!", a novel educational computer based video game that teaches maths concepts. An investigation on how the game supports the development of learners' 21st century skills such as problem solving, self-directed learning, knowledge building and digital literacy is presented. The results of a case study in a 3rd level educational institution show that the large majority of students that took part in the case study acquired 21st century skills. 96.97% of students believed that the Count With Me! game helped them to develop their problem solving skills. 82.82% of students liked self-pacing themselves through the game based educational material. 78.78% of students agreed that the maths game has improved their knowledge and 81.81% of students were satisfied with their achievements in the game

A Tutoring Framework to Support Computer Science Programmes in Higher Education

Computing Support is the provision of academic supports such as individual tutoring and support classes to students studying computing at third level. Students can struggle with computing as it requires practice involving trial and error. This work proposes a research informed tutoring framework to support computer science students at third level. The tutoring framework combines three pillars; staff and training, pedagogies and activities. Support is put in place to help students develop technical and programming skills. Essential tutoring is provided for those who might otherwise drop out of college. The framework was applied to first and second-year undergraduate programmes and to the first semester in Higher Diploma conversion programmes. Results demonstrate that students\u27 attendance has increased by 14%. In addition, student feedback shows that the framework supports students in computer science. This framework is a useful resource for academic managers that wish to implement computing support at third level

Gender Identity: Challenges to Accessing Social and Health Care Services for Lesbians in Nepal

Literature about same-sex love and sexuality in Nepal is rare. However, limited anecdotal evidence on these issues signals that the health and social care needs of lesbians in Nepal are high. This qualitative study explores the challenges faced by lesbians in Nepal in accessing health and social services. In-depth interviews carried out with fifteen lesbians found that Nepalese lesbians face many challenges from families and society which result in a stressful life, homelessness and forced and unwanted relationships and marriage, including self-harming behaviours. They often face discrimination and harassment when coming out at public administration and social institutions. Hence, most lesbians of Nepal prefer not to disclose their sexual identity due to the fear of becoming isolated and not getting quality health care services

Study of changes in serum lipid profile and blood sugar level by perindopril and telmisartan during treatment of systemic hypertension

Background: This study was designed to compare adverse effects on serum lipid profile and blood sugar level in the treatment with two commonly used drugs perindopril and telmisartan in cases of hypertension. This was an “observational” and “cross-sectional” study.Methods: A total of 100 patients were included in each, Groups A and B. In both groups, half the patients were given perindopril 4 mg OD and half were given telmisartan 40 mg OD for 24 weeks. Total cholesterol (TC), high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), triglycerides (TG), fasting blood sugar (FBS), and postprandial blood sugar (PPBS) level was estimated initially and then at 4th, 12th, and 24th week. Statistical analysis was done using ANOVA.Results: With perindopril initial means of TC, HDL, LDL, TGs, FBS, and PPBS in Groups A and B were 190.32, 49.76, 117.96, 165.04, 84.56, 122.60, and 188.80, 51.64, 118.52, 159.12, 93.92, 133.60, respectively. After 24 weeks, these values were 190.84, 50.68, 118.60, 163.84, 83.48, 120.20, and 190.96, 52.04, 118.28, 157.56, 93.96, 133.68, respectively (p > 0.05). With telmisartan, initial means of TC, HDL, LDL, TG, FBS, and PPBS in both groups were 188.08, 49.76, 118.84, 167.20, 83.72, 120.68, and 188.08, 46.88, 121.96, 167.84, 91.44, 131.72, respectively. After 24 weeks, these values in both groups were 189.36, 49.80, 120.04, 165.96, 82.60, 118.36 and 186.12, 45.28, 121.08, 167.72, 92.76, 129.56 respectively (p > 0.05).Conclusions: It concluded that both perindopril and telmisartan had not any significant adverse effects on plasma lipid profile and blood sugar level in both groups

Gender identity: Challenges to access social and health care services for lesbians in Nepal

Literature about same-sex love and sexuality in Nepal is rare. However, limited anecdotal evidence on these issues signals that the health and social care needs of lesbians in Nepal are high. This qualitative study explores the challenges faced by lesbians in Nepal in accessing health and social services. In-depth interviews carried out with fifteen lesbians found that Nepalese lesbians face many challenges from families and society which result in a stressful life, homelessness and forced and unwanted relationships and marriage, including self-harming behaviours. They often face discrimination and harassment when coming out at public administration and social institutions. Hence, most lesbians of Nepal prefer not to disclose their sexual identity due to the fear of becoming isolated and not getting quality health care services

Climate change induced salinity intrusion and its implications for agriculture

An estimated 1.06 million hectare of arable land in Bangladesh and 6.7 million hectares in India is affected by salinity (Rabbani 2013). Salinity intrusion adversely affects the livelihoods of farmers, especially rice cultivators and fisherfolks, vegetations, soil quality, and infrastructure in these areas (Habiba et al. 2014). The net cropped area in coastal Bangladesh has been decreasing over the last few years due to several factors and many studies have identified salinity as the chief cause for yield reduction in coastal agriculture (Baten 2015). Groundwater contamination due to saline water and similar adverse impacts on agriculture and livelihoods are also increasing in coastal India, especially in Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh (Naidu et al. 2013). The extent and intensity of salinity in the coming years are likely to increase due to climate change induced saltwater intrusion

Prescription pattern of fixed dose drug combination in cardiology department in a tertiary care hospital

Background: A cardiovascular disease (CVD) is one of the most common causes of mortality and morbidity globally. The drastic change in the lifestyle of population during 21st century has had a great impact on health especially cardiovascular diseases. Objective of this study was to assess the prescription pattern of fixed dose drug combinations (FDCs) in the department of cardiology in a tertiary care hospital.Methods: The prescriptions of 210 patients suffered by cardiovascular disorders who attended the department of cardiology were analysed and following data were collected - patient demographics, diagnosis, dosage form, therapeutic category, cost of FDCs compared to individual drugs, duration of therapy, the total number of drugs per prescription and FDCs prescribed, composition of the FDC, whether FDC prescribed is approved by WHO list of essential medicine. A descriptive analysis of data was done.Results: 15 types of FDCs prescribed were received by 92(43.80%) individuals among 210 patients who attended the cardiology OPD. Prescription of FDCs was most common 28 (30.43%) in patients age group 51-60 years. The commonly prescribed FDC was aspirin with atorvastatin followed by telmisartan with hydrochlorothiazide.Conclusions: The results suggested that FDCs for cardiovascular disorders are frequently prescribed by cardiologist. However all are not approved by WHO list of essential medicine. This study was focused on rational use of FDCs for prescribers for cardiovascular morbidities and mortality