Design and Implementation of Intelligent Truck Based on Azure Kinect

In recent years, due to the impact of COVID-19, the market prospect of non-contact handling has improved and the development potential is huge. This paper designs an intelligent truck based on Azure Kinect, which can save manpower and improve efficiency, and greatly reduce the infection risk of medical staff and community workers. The target object is visually recognized by Azure Kinect to obtain the center of mass of the target, and the GPS and Kalman filter are used to achieve accurate positioning. The 4-DOF robot arm is selected to grasp and transport the target object, so as to complete the non-contact handling work. In this paper, different shapes of objects are tested. The experiment shows that the system can accurately complete the positioning function, and the accuracy rate is 95.56%. The target object recognition is combined with the depth information to determine the distance, and the spatial coordinates of the object centroid are obtained in real time. The accuracy rate can reach 94.48%, and the target objects of different shapes can be recognized. When the target object is grasped by the robot arm, it can be grasped accurately according to the depth information, and the grasping rate reaches 92.67%. © 2023, ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social Informatics and Telecommunications Engineering.

Online creative community support: Framing of two independent documentary films? creation from Caochangdi Workstation during the COVID-19 pandemic

In late December 2019, the world witnessed the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which subsequently led to numerous social and work limitations including face-to-face communication and documentary production worldwide. While many studies have focused on the framing of COVID-19 by mainstream news agencies and political figures, few studies have concentrated on the perspectives of independent filmmakers regarding the pandemic. The challenges faced by these niche filmmakers during COVID-19 would have likely magnified and changed due to the uncertainties that befell filming and distribution. In this intrinsic case study, the researcher aims to explore the creative processes of two documentary films, Luo Luo's Fear and Entrapment, produced by emerging and experienced filmmakers, respectively, during the pandemic while participating in the Caochangdi (CCD) Workstation's Folk Memory Project. A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted on data collected from in-depth interviews with two participants and their reflective memos. This work also seeks to describe the filmmakers' experiences of filming during the pandemic and how these experiences framed their documentary filmmaking. Next, the researcher explores the salient visual framework used by the filmmakers through their documentary film analysis. Both films focused on their fears and challenges at this particular time of the pandemic, framing the entire film through internal monologues that have also become a distinctive style of their own creation. Overall, the current research contributes to the limited literature by focusing on the impacts of building of online strategies and creative community support on independent filmmakers' self-rescue during the pandemic and how visual framing can be enhanced in the study of films.

Hyaluronan 2016–2021

More than 1100 published papers during 2016–2021 have "hyaluronan” in the title. This Encyclopedia of Cell Biology update focuses on 25 of these publications that we considered having important new directions for research on this fascinating Zen macromolecule that has a simple disaccharide structure and a very complex biology. There are likely several more publications during this time that fit this criteria. As hyaluronan has its own International Society (ISHAS) that meets biannually, the on-line booklets of meetings during this time provide insight into the wide range of ongoing hyaluronan research. © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Difference of Clinical Characteristics in Patients with Omicron and Delta Variants of SARS-CoV-2 in Beijing, China

Background Delta and Omicron are two main variants that have been prevalent since 2021. However, the Omicron variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 shows a less severe clinical presentation and high transmissibility. Therefore, we carried out this retrospective study to evaluate Omicron severity compared with the Delta variant and further comprehend the differences in clinical characteristics in patients with the Omicron variant. Methods We extracted clinical data and compared clinical severity, symptoms, vaccination status, laboratory parameters, viral shedding time, and computed tomography (CT) imaging between the two groups of patients, which included 109 COVID-19 cases with the Delta variant and 183 cases with the Omicron variant, from January 19 to April 1, 2022, in Beijing Ditan Hospital. In addition, the Beijing Center for Disease Prevention and Control conducted whole-genome sequencing. Results We obtained 94 strains of variants of concern/Delta and 110 strains of variants of concern/Omicron. For the 110 Omicron strains, three were assigned as BA.1.1, 53 as BA.2, and 54 as BA.2.2. Among patients with the Delta variant, 54% (59/109) were moderate, which was significantly higher than that of patients with the Omicron variant (7% (12/183), P < 0.001). The number of patients with mild symptoms in the Omicron group was significantly higher than in the Delta group (80% vs. 35%, P < 0.001). Compared with the Omicron group, patients with underlying diseases or obesity, 60 years or older, or unvaccinated in the Delta group had more severe disease, and there was a significant difference between the two groups. The viral shedding time in the Omicron group was shorter than in the Delta group ((11.9 ± 5.9) vs. (14.0 ± 5.8) days, P = 0.003). Among the 183 patients in the Omicron group, 104 (57%) had dry or sore throat symptoms, more than those in the Delta group (34% (37/109);P < 0.001). In the Delta group, patients in the moderate group had more fever and cough symptoms than those in the mild group. The remission time of CT imaging in the Omicron group was shorter than in the Delta group ((9.0 ± 5.2) vs. (13.2 ± 4.2) days, P = 0.018). Conclusions Patients with Delta variants are more likely to have pneumonia, mainly with fever and cough symptoms, while patients with the Omicron variant are mostly mild, with more prominent dry or sore throat symptoms. In addition, patients with the Omicron variant have a short viral shedding time and rapid absorption of pneumonia. © Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has spread worldwide and threatened human's health. With the passing of time, the epidemiology of coronavirus disease 2019 evolves and the knowledge of SARS-CoV-2 infection accumulates. To further improve the scientific and standardized diagnosis and treatment of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection in China, the Chinese Society of Perinatal Medicine of Chinese Medical Association commissioned leading experts to develop the Recommendations for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Maternal SARS-CoV-2 Infection under the guidance of the Maternal and Child Health Department of the National Health Commission. This recommendations includes the epidemiology, diagnosis, management, maternal care, medication treatment, care of birth and newborns, and psychological support associated with maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection. It is hoped that the recommendations will effectively help the clinical management of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection.Copyright © Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimisation of collaborative supply transportation based on traffic road network topology

With the rapid development of China's economy, enterprises need to plan their logistics transportation routes reasonably in advance. This will make the transportation service more efficient. For the supplier's transportation service problem, an analysis method of critical path nodes is provided and a multi-supplier collaborative transportation strategy is designed in this article. First, a model for minimising the transportation cost was established, then a path diagram was simulated and the optimal and alternative transportation paths of suppliers based on the k-shortest path algorithm were calculated. In addition, path node availability during COVID-19 is used as a research context in this article. A multi-stage path analysis method was provided by discussing different cases of critical path nodes, which can make a reasonable selection of paths in a timely and effective manner. Finally, simulations of collaborative transportation for suppliers were performed in three scenarios and the results verified the effectiveness of the collaborative transportation strategy. The proposed collaborative transportation strategy of suppliers not only strengthened the synergistic cooperation among suppliers, but also cultivated the potential customer for suppliers in this article. Furthermore, the strategy could improve the flexibility of the supply chain, maximise the overall efficiency and also provide a new solution for the development of logistics and transportation services.

Near Real-Time Social Distance Estimation In London

To mitigate the current COVID-19 pandemic, policy makers at the Greater London Authority, the regional governance body of London, UK, are reliant upon prompt, accurate and actionable estimations of lockdown and social distancing policy adherence. Transport for London, the local transportation department, reports they implemented over 700 interventions such as greater signage and expansion of pedestrian zoning at the height of the pandemic's first wave with our platform providing key data for those decisions. Large well-defined heterogeneous compositions of pedestrian footfall and physical proximity are difficult to acquire, yet necessary to monitor city-wide activity (busyness) and consequently discern actionable policy decisions. To meet this challenge, we leverage our existing large-scale data processing urban air quality machine learning infrastructure to process over 900 camera feeds in near real-time to generate new estimates of social distancing adherence, group detection and camera stability. In this work, we describe our development and deployment of a computer vision and machine learning pipeline. It provides near immediate sampling and contextualization of activity and physical distancing on the streets of London via live traffic camera feeds. We introduce a platform for inspecting, calibrating and improving upon existing methods, describe the active deployment on real-time feeds and provide analysis over an 18 month period.

Accurate Assessment and Tracking the Process of Liver-Specific Injury by the Residual Tissue Activity of Carboxylesterase 1 and Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4

Accurately assessing and tracking the progression of liver-specific injury remains a major challenge in the field of biomarker research. Here, we took a retrospective validation approach built on the mutuality between serum and tissue biomarkers to characterize the liver-specific damage of bile duct cells caused by a-naphthyl isothiocyanate (ANIT). We found that carboxylesterase 1 (CES1), as an intrahepatic marker, and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 (DPP-IV), as an extrahepatic marker, can reflect the different pathophysiolo-gies of liver injury. Levels of CES1 and DPP-IV can be used to identify liver damage itself and the inflam-matory state, respectively. While the levels of the conventional serological biomarkers alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were all con-comitantly elevated in serum and tissues after ANIT-induced injury, the levels of bile acids decreased in bile, increased in serum, and ascended in intrahepatic tissue. Although the level of c-glutamyl transpeptidase (c-GT) changed in an opposite direction, the duration was much shorter than that of CES1 and was quickly restored to normal levels. Therefore, among the abovementioned biomarkers, only CES1 made it possible to specifically determine whether the liver cells were destroyed or damaged with-out interference from inflammation. CES1 also enabled accurate assessment of the anti-cholestasis effects of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA;single component) and Qing Fei Pai Du Decoction (QFPDD;multi-component). We found that both QFPDD and UDCA attenuated ANIT-induced liver damage. UDCA was more potent in promoting bile excretion but showed relatively weaker anti-injury and anti-inflammatory effects than QFPDD, whereas QFPDD was more effective in blocking liver inflammation and repairing liver damage. Our data highlights the potential of the combined use of CES1 (as an intra-hepatic marker of liver damage) and DPP-IV (as an extrahepatic marker of inflammation) for the accurate evaluation and tracking of liver-specific injury-an application that allows for the differentiation of liver damage and inflammatory liver injury.(c) 2021 THE AUTHORS. Published by Elsevier LTD on behalf of Chinese Academy of Engineering and Higher Education Press Limited Company. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Establishment of the Program for Hierarchical Prevention and Control of Sudden Infectious Diseases Based on the Coronavirus Disease 2019: Experience of Peking Union Medical College Hospital.

In the current situation of coronavirus disease 2019, "to prevent import from abroad and to defend internal rebound" is the general principle. Facing the changes in the epidemic situation, especially the winter and spring epidemics, it is a huge challenge to carry out a scientific, precise and flexible program for the prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections so that to ensure the safety of healthcare workers and patients. After more than one year of anti-epidemic work, Peking Union Medical College Hospital has summarized and formulated a four-level retractable and releasable hierarchical program of prevention and control. It is dynamically adjusted according to the responsive level of public health emergencies in Beijing and the relevant regulations of epidemic prevention and control. All departments can also respond quickly to ensure the resumption of work. This program provides reference for the prevention and control of coronavirus disease 2019 and other sudden infectious diseases.Copyright © 2021, Peking Union Medical College Hospital. All rights reserved.

Incidence and influencing factors of favipiravir-associated serum uric acid elevation in patients with coronavirus disease 2019.

Objective To explore the occurrence and influencing factors of serum uric acid elevation in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treated with favipiravir. Methods Medical records of patients with COVID-19 who were hospitalized in Beijing Ditan Hospital between June 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021 and treated with the 5- or 10-day regimen of favipiravir were collected and retrospectively analyzed. After favipiravir withdrawal, if the elevation in serum uric acid was >=30% of baseline level, it was defined as serum uric acid elevation. Then patients were divided into serum uric acid elevation group and non-serum uric acid elevation group. The clinical characteristics such as gender, age, body mass index, comorbidities, smoking and drinking behavior, COVID-19 grade, favipiravir regimen, and serum uric acid level and renal function before treatment in patients between the 2 groups were compared. Influencing factors of favipiravir-associated serum uric acid elevation was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression method. Results A total of 179 patients were included in the analysis, including 104 (58.1%) males and 75 (41.9%) females, aged from 19 to 70 years with a median age of 43 years. The level of serum uric acid in 179 patients after favipiravir treatment was significantly higher than before [(451+/-119) mumol/L vs. (332+/-94) mumol/L, P<0.001]. The change rate of serum uric acid from baseline level ranged from -57.1% to 157.8% with the median of 38.6%. The elevation in serum uric acid of >= 30% of baseline level occurred in 108 (60.3%) patients. The incidences of serum uric acid elevation in patients treated with 5-day and 10-day regi- mens of favipiravir were 46.8% (36/77) and 70.6% (72/102), respectively, and the difference between them was significant (P=0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that body mass index 24.0 to <28.0 kg/m2 (OR=3.109, 95%CI: 1.209-7.994, P=0.019) and 10-day regimen of favipiravir (OR=3.017, 95%CI: 1.526-5.964, P=0.001) were independent risk factors for favipiravir-associated serum uric acid elevation. Conclusions More than half of COVID-19 patients treated with favipiravir can develop serum uric acid elevation. Overweight and 10-day regimen of favipiravir are independent risk factors for serum uric acid elevation in patients.Copyright © 2022 Adverse Drug Reactions Journal.

Detection of COVID-19 by Cough Sound: A Method Based on DSC + BiLSTM

In recent years, the outbreak of COVID-19 has brought a new round of challenges to global health care, and daily large-scale testing has also increased the consumption of medical resources. However, studies have shown that the cough sounds of patients with COVID-19 are significantly different from other Characteristics of respiratory infectious diseases. Therefore, this paper considers the use of the patient's cough as a detection sample to give the preliminary screening results. The research was conducted on the COUGHVID dataset. The experiment is divided into two stages: (1) Preprocessing stage: use Pitch Shift and Time Stretch to perform data enhancement on audio data, and use spec Augment to perform data enhancement on mel spectrogram. (2) Model construction stage: use two layers of DSC and one layer of BILSTM to splicing to obtain a classification model. Finally, the method is compared with the baseline method using only two layers of LSTM. The results show that accuracy has increased by 1.9%, F1 has increased by 1.9%, and AUC has increased by 1.6%. © 2022 IEEE.

Time and Frequency Spillovers between the Green Economy and Traditional Energy Markets

The green economy is aimed at decreasing the dependence of the global economy on traditional fossil energy, thereby resolving conflicts between economic development and environmental issues and achieving sustainable economic development. Thus, the relation between the green economy and traditional energy markets is of great importance for both policymakers and portfolio managers. In this study, we investigate the dynamic spillover effects between the green economy and traditional energy markets by applying time and frequency spillover measures based on the TVP-VAR model. The results reveal a strong spillover relationship between the green economy and traditional energy system, and the spillover direction is mainly from green economy markets to traditional energy markets. Our analysis further reveals the heterogeneity of these spillover effects, both within green economy markets and between these markets and traditional energy markets. The performance of the U.S. green economy market is similar to that of Europe, whereas the Asian green economy market is more complex. The frequency domain results demonstrate that the spillover effects are mainly dominated by short-term (1–5 days) components, whereas medium- and long-term components have less of an effect. In addition, we find a sharp increase in the level of spillover effects during the COVID-19 pandemic. © 2023 by the authors.

Trial of Endovascular Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke with Large Infarct.

BACKGROUND: The role of endovascular therapy for acute stroke with a large infarction has not been extensively studied in differing populations. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter, prospective, open-label, randomized trial in China involving patients with acute large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation and an Alberta Stroke Program Early Computed Tomography Score of 3 to 5 (range, 0 to 10, with lower values indicating larger infarction) or an infarct-core volume of 70 to 100 ml. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio within 24 hours from the time they were last known to be well to undergo endovascular therapy and receive medical management or to receive medical management alone. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days (scores range from 0 to 6, with higher scores indicating greater disability), and the primary objective was to determine whether a shift in the distribution of the scores on the modified Rankin scale at 90 days had occurred between the two groups. Secondary outcomes included scores of 0 to 2 and 0 to 3 on the modified Rankin scale. The primary safety outcome was symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage within 48 hours after randomization. RESULTS: A total of 456 patients were enrolled; 231 were assigned to the endovascular-therapy group and 225 to the medical-management group. Approximately 28% of the patients in both groups received intravenous thrombolysis. The trial was stopped early owing to the efficacy of endovascular therapy after the second interim analysis. At 90 days, a shift in the distribution of scores on the modified Rankin scale toward better outcomes was observed in favor of endovascular therapy over medical management alone (generalized odds ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.11 to 1.69; P = 0.004). Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 14 of 230 patients (6.1%) in the endovascular-therapy group and in 6 of 225 patients (2.7%) in the medical-management group; any intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 113 (49.1%) and 39 (17.3%), respectively. Results for the secondary outcomes generally supported those of the primary analysis. CONCLUSIONS: In a trial conducted in China, patients with large cerebral infarctions had better outcomes with endovascular therapy administered within 24 hours than with medical management alone but had more intracranial hemorrhages. (Funded by Covidien Healthcare International Trading [Shanghai] and others; ANGEL-ASPECT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT04551664.).

Optimization of Transport Services Based on the K Shortest Path Algorithm

The link between the supply and demand sides of manufacturing has become increasingly frail as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. In this paper, we analyze the key path nodes and propose a closed-loop path value-added strategy for logistics services to optimize the path cost on the supply and demand side under the influence of the COVID-19 epidemic. First, the k shortest path algorithm determines the optional paths in accordance with the structure of the road network made up of all path nodes. Second, closed-loop transportation routes for both forward and reverse transit are constructed using the optional paths. Finally, the transportation service strategy with the optimal choice of transportation cost and transportation time under a multi-stage epidemic is obtained. The method can provide a reference for logistics services. © 2022 IEEE.

Intelligent Early Warning Support System of Financial Crisis Based on Recurrent Neural Network

Preventing and resolving major financial risks is an important part of the three major battle. Under the new normal economic situation affected by COVID-19, China's economic environment is complex and changeable, and the problem of financial risks is constantly highlighted. There are many reasons for enterprise bankruptcy □ However, the bankruptcy of domestic and foreign enterprises is closely related to the enterprise financial crisis. A systematic and perfect financial management system can promote the growth of enterprises at the beginning of the establishment of enterprises, and detect and prevent the possible crisis of enterprises. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a financial crisis early warning model in line with the characteristics of enterprises. It is an urgent practical problem to establish a financial crisis early warning system to prevent financial crises and risks, and to create a good institutional environment for safe financial management and sustainable operation of enterprises. For the operators, they can effectively predict the credit risk in advance, strengthen the management, and formulate and implement the credit risk response plan to realize the healthy and stable development of enterprises. The recurrent neural network can better fit and predict the financial risks, and become an effective means of forecasting, evaluation and intelligent early warning. © 2022 IEEE.

The Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Syringe Service Program Staff Wellbeing

Introduction: Syringe service programs (SSPs) provide a range of harm reduction services to people who use drugs and were deemed essential public health services in the United States in the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, SSPs underwent unprecedented shifts in operational procedures, including closures of physical sites and staff redeployment into pandemic response efforts. Given the critical role of SSPs during this crisis, we sought to examine SSP staff experiences and wellbeing to inform future pandemic preparedness and emergency response efforts. Method(s): From July-October, 2020, we conducted semi-structured interviews with SSP staff from four community-based SSPs in Massachusetts that were sampled to represent different organization sizes, pre-pandemic modalities (e.g., fixed site, mobile delivery, or both), and geographic location (e.g., region, urbanicity). Trained interviewers administered virtual qualitative interviews via secure videoconferencing on tablet computers, which were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using NVivo v12. Thematic analysis identified common occupational experiences and related impacts on wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Result(s): Among 18 participants, 12 (67%) had client-facing roles (e.g., harm reduction specialists, counselors, and outreach workers) and 6 (33%) worked in program coordination, management, and leadership. SSPs rapidly adapted and extended their services (e.g., food distribution and SARS-CoV-2 testing of clients and surrounding communities) to meet increased client needs during the pandemic;however, this role expansion led to staff overexertion. While some narratives revealed SSP staff resilience, participants described frequently feeling anxious about the risk of occupational exposures to SARS-CoV-2, and simultaneously concerned about reduced social connection with clients and coworkers due to operational adaptations to accommodate infection prevention (e.g., physical distancing, personal protective equipment). Despite the numerous challenges to participants' wellbeing, many also described positive operational changes that increased their comfort, motivation, and satisfaction at work. Participants cited their appreciation for transparent communication from organizational leadership regarding rapidly changing guidelines and resources of PPE, being engaged in organizational decision-making, and measures to support their physical and mental health such as increased compensation for new duties in the form of hazard pay and paid sick leave, an increased frequency of wellness checks between managers and staff, and the promotion of taking time off. Conclusion(s): Unlike other health services occupations, SSP staff are often the only prevention service providers with whom SSP clients have regular contact, filling a critical service gap for the socially and structurally marginalized populations they serve. In the face of challenging circumstances during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, SSPs effectively adapted to maintain the provision of their staple harm reduction services. While SSP staff and leadership should be commended for the incredible efforts undertaken during this period, our study identified factors that could negatively impact SSP staff wellbeing. Our findings suggest that during prolonged, complex public health emergencies, enhanced occupational supports should be provided to SSPs to prevent burnout and promote wellness for this essential sector of the public health workforce.

Impact of ATG Dose Reduction on Kidney Transplant Outcomes During the Covid-19 Pandemic

Purpose: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many transplant centers modified induction immunosuppression regimens. Beginning December 2020, our center reduced anti-thymocyte globulin (ATG) protocol dosing by up to 33% compared to the pre-pandemic doses (7.5, 4.5, and 3mg/kg, per immunologic risk) for all recipients, with no change in maintenance immunosuppression. We examined the impact of reduced ATG dose on kidney allograft and transplant recipient outcomes. Method(s): We retrospectively reviewed adult recipients who received a kidney transplant between December 2020 and March 2021 (pandemic) with a minimum of 6 months follow up post-transplant, and recipients who received a transplant between January 2019 and December 2019 (pre-pandemic). We chose 2019 as a comparable pre-pandemic cohort as they were treated without influence from the COVID-19 pandemic. We ed patient demographic and laboratory data from electronic health records. We excluded multi-organ transplant recipients. Result(s): 78 adult kidney transplants were performed during the pandemic era and 211 were performed during the pre-pandemic era. The characteristics of the two cohorts are illustrated in Table 1. The primary outcomes are illustrated in Figure 1. The rate of biopsy proven rejection (including surveillance and for-cause biopsies) did not increase during the pandemic as compared to pre-pandemic era (6.3% vs 8.0%, respectively, p=0.8). The rate of BK viremia (>1000 copies/mL) at 3 months was lower in the pandemic era, but not statistically significant (6.4% vs 8.7%, respectively, p=0.6). The rate of delayed graft function (DGF) was significantly higher in the pandemic era compared to pre-pandemic (42.3% vs 22.9%, respectively, p=0.002). No recipients tested positive for COVID-19 within 1-month of transplant. Conclusion(s): Despite the reduction in ATG dose, we found no significant change in the rate of rejection or infection. We did however find a significant increase in the rate of DGF during the pandemic era. Further studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of reduced induction immunosuppression regimen on kidney transplant recipients. (Figure Presented).

The responsibility paradox: Is CSR truly beneficial during the global pandemic?

As countries start to emerge from the pandemic with the development of vaccines, the impact of COVID-19 and the changes it has initiated in the business world will continue to be felt across industries. In this chapter, real-life storiesfrom three different industries-chain restaurants, interior design, and cafés-and the lessons they have learned will be discussed and analyzed. The role of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in SMEs is highlighted as a strategy in which organizations can promote the long-term sustain-ability of their business. Then, three companies in various industries will be introduced with details about how COVID-19 has changed their outlook and goals in competing with other firms and the ways in which they confronted the pandemic. Finally, the authors share implications and offer helpful recommendations as to how SMEs can leverage resources smartly to engage in smart CSR initiatives in better dealing with a global health crisis and play a larger role in taking care of stakeholders in the long run. © 2021, IGI Global.

US Engineering Employment During the COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper analyzes the employment trajectories of engineering workers-both workers in occupations formally classified as engineering and workers in occupations not formally classified as engineering but where engineering knowledge is important-during the COVID-19 pandemic. We find that the employment rate of workers in engineering occupations fell by 6.6 percentage-points at the onset of the pandemic compared to a 13.1 percentage-point drop among workers in non-engineering jobs, and that workers in jobs where engineering knowledge is important were less likely to suffer employment loss during the pandemic, regardless of whether their occupation is formally classified as a STEM engineering occupation. This suggests that engineering knowledge is beneficial in reducing a worker's unemployment risk during recessions. We also find that industries with the highest share of engineers as workers tended to experience smaller percentage declines in employment during the pandemic compared to overall US employment, although employment in aerospace and motor vehicle manufacturing industries remained over 10% below pre-recession employment as of 2021Q4. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2022.