Showing papers by "Texas A&M University published in 2020"

Effects of COVID-19 on College Students' Mental Health in the United States: Interview Survey Study.

Abstract: Background: Student mental health in higher education has been an increasing concern. The COVID-19 pandemic situation has brought this vulnerable population into renewed focus. Objective: Our study aims to conduct a timely assessment of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of college students. Methods: We conducted interview surveys with 195 students at a large public university in the United States to understand the effects of the pandemic on their mental health and well-being. The data were analyzed through quantitative and qualitative methods. Results: Of the 195 students, 138 (71%) indicated increased stress and anxiety due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Multiple stressors were identified that contributed to the increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depressive thoughts among students. These included fear and worry about their own health and of their loved ones (177/195, 91% reported negative impacts of the pandemic), difficulty in concentrating (173/195, 89%), disruptions to sleeping patterns (168/195, 86%), decreased social interactions due to physical distancing (167/195, 86%), and increased concerns on academic performance (159/195, 82%). To cope with stress and anxiety, participants have sought support from others and helped themselves by adopting either negative or positive coping mechanisms. Conclusions: Due to the long-lasting pandemic situation and onerous measures such as lockdown and stay-at-home orders, the COVID-19 pandemic brings negative impacts on higher education. The findings of our study highlight the urgent need to develop interventions and preventive strategies to address the mental health of college students.

Identifying airborne transmission as the dominant route for the spread of COVID-19.

Abstract: Various mitigation measures have been implemented to fight the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including widely adopted social distancing and mandated face covering. However, assessing the effectiveness of those intervention practices hinges on the understanding of virus transmission, which remains uncertain. Here we show that airborne transmission is highly virulent and represents the dominant route to spread the disease. By analyzing the trend and mitigation measures in Wuhan, China, Italy, and New York City, from January 23 to May 9, 2020, we illustrate that the impacts of mitigation measures are discernable from the trends of the pandemic. Our analysis reveals that the difference with and without mandated face covering represents the determinant in shaping the pandemic trends in the three epicenters. This protective measure alone significantly reduced the number of infections, that is, by over 78,000 in Italy from April 6 to May 9 and over 66,000 in New York City from April 17 to May 9. Other mitigation measures, such as social distancing implemented in the United States, are insufficient by themselves in protecting the public. We conclude that wearing of face masks in public corresponds to the most effective means to prevent interhuman transmission, and this inexpensive practice, in conjunction with simultaneous social distancing, quarantine, and contact tracing, represents the most likely fighting opportunity to stop the COVID-19 pandemic. Our work also highlights the fact that sound science is essential in decision-making for the current and future public health pandemics.

Investigating Mental Health of US College Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Abstract: Background: Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has generally increased levels of stress and depression among the public. However, the impact on college students in the United States has not been well-documented. Objective: This paper surveys the mental health status and severity of depression and anxiety of college students in a large university system in the United States during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: An online survey was conducted among undergraduate and graduate students recruited from Texas A&M University via email. The survey consisted of two standardized scales—the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the General Anxiety Disorder-7—for depression and anxiety, and additional multiple-choice and open-ended questions regarding stressors and coping mechanisms specific to COVID-19. Results: Among the 2031 participants, 48.14% (n=960) showed a moderate-to-severe level of depression, 38.48% (n=775) showed a moderate-to-severe level of anxiety, and 18.04% (n=366) had suicidal thoughts. A majority of participants (n=1443, 71.26%) indicated that their stress/anxiety levels had increased during the pandemic. Less than half of the participants (n=882, 43.25%) indicated that they were able to cope adequately with the stress related to the current situation. Conclusions: The proportion of respondents showing depression, anxiety, and/or suicidal thoughts is alarming. Respondents reported academic-, health-, and lifestyle-related concerns caused by the pandemic. Given the unexpected length and severity of the outbreak, these concerns need to be further understood and addressed.

Graph Contrastive Learning with Augmentations

Abstract: Generalizable, transferrable, and robust representation learning on graph-structured data remains a challenge for current graph neural networks (GNNs). Unlike what has been developed for convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for image data, self-supervised learning and pre-training are less explored for GNNs. In this paper, we propose a graph contrastive learning (GraphCL) framework for learning unsupervised representations of graph data. We first design four types of graph augmentations to incorporate various priors. We then systematically study the impact of various combinations of graph augmentations on multiple datasets, in four different settings: semi-supervised, unsupervised, and transfer learning as well as adversarial attacks. The results show that, even without tuning augmentation extents nor using sophisticated GNN architectures, our GraphCL framework can produce graph representations of similar or better generalizability, transferrability, and robustness compared to state-of-the-art methods. We also investigate the impact of parameterized graph augmentation extents and patterns, and observe further performance gains in preliminary experiments. Our codes are available at this https URL.

The FLUXNET2015 dataset and the ONEFlux processing pipeline for eddy covariance data

Abstract: The FLUXNET2015 dataset provides ecosystem-scale data on CO2, water, and energy exchange between the biosphere and the atmosphere, and other meteorological and biological measurements, from 212 sites around the globe (over 1500 site-years, up to and including year 2014). These sites, independently managed and operated, voluntarily contributed their data to create global datasets. Data were quality controlled and processed using uniform methods, to improve consistency and intercomparability across sites. The dataset is already being used in a number of applications, including ecophysiology studies, remote sensing studies, and development of ecosystem and Earth system models. FLUXNET2015 includes derived-data products, such as gap-filled time series, ecosystem respiration and photosynthetic uptake estimates, estimation of uncertainties, and metadata about the measurements, presented for the first time in this paper. In addition, 206 of these sites are for the first time distributed under a Creative Commons (CC-BY 4.0) license. This paper details this enhanced dataset and the processing methods, now made available as open-source codes, making the dataset more accessible, transparent, and reproducible.

Learning from the Past: Possible Urgent Prevention and Treatment Options for Severe Acute Respiratory Infections Caused by 2019-nCoV.

Abstract: With the current trajectory of the 2019-nCoV outbreak unknown, public health and medicinal measures will both be needed to contain spreading of the virus and to optimize patient outcomes. Although little is known about the virus, an examination of the genome sequence shows strong homology with its better-studied cousin, SARS-CoV. The spike protein used for host cell infection shows key nonsynonymous mutations that might hamper the efficacy of previously developed therapeutics but remains a viable target for the development of biologics and macrocyclic peptides. Other key drug targets, including RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and coronavirus main proteinase (3CLpro), share a strikingly high (>95 %) homology to SARS-CoV. Herein, we suggest four potential drug candidates (an ACE2-based peptide, remdesivir, 3CLpro-1 and a novel vinylsulfone protease inhibitor) that could be used to treat patients suffering with the 2019-nCoV. We also summarize previous efforts into drugging these targets and hope to help in the development of broad-spectrum anti-coronaviral agents for future epidemics.

Score-CAM: Score-Weighted Visual Explanations for Convolutional Neural Networks

Abstract: Recently, increasing attention has been drawn to the internal mechanisms of convolutional neural networks, and the reason why the network makes specific decisions. In this paper, we develop a novel post-hoc visual explanation method called Score-CAM based on class activation mapping. Unlike previous class activation mapping based approaches, Score-CAM gets rid of the dependence on gradients by obtaining the weight of each activation map through its forward passing score on target class, the final result is obtained by a linear combination of weights and activation maps. We demonstrate that Score-CAM achieves better visual performance and fairness for interpreting the decision making process. Our approach outperforms previous methods on both recognition and localization tasks, it also passes the sanity check. We also indicate its application as debugging tools. The implementation is available 1 .

Epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19: a review.

Abstract: The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has become a pandemic affecting health and wellbeing globally. In addition to the physical health, economic, and social implications, the psychological impacts of this pandemic are increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. This narrative review reflected on scholarly articles on the epidemiology of mental health problems in COVID-19. The current literature suggests that people affected by COVID-19 may have a high burden of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, stress, panic attack, irrational anger, impulsivity, somatization disorder, sleep disorders, emotional disturbance, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and suicidal behavior. Moreover, several factors associated with mental health problems in COVID-19 are found, which include age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, income, place of living, close contact with people with COVID-19, comorbid physical and mental health problems, exposure to COVID-19 related news and social media, coping styles, stigma, psychosocial support, health communication, confidence in health services, personal protective measures, risk of contracting COVID-19, and perceived likelihood of survival. Furthermore, the epidemiological distribution of mental health problems and associated factors were heterogeneous among the general public, COVID-19 patients, and healthcare providers. The current evidence suggests that a psychiatric epidemic is cooccurring with the COVID-19 pandemic, which necessitates the attention of the global health community. Future epidemiological studies should emphasize on psychopathological variations and temporality of mental health problems in different populations. Nonetheless, multipronged interventions should be developed and adopted to address the existing psychosocial challenges and promote mental health amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact of Rumors and Misinformation on COVID-19 in Social Media.

Abstract: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has not only caused significant challenges for health systems all over the globe but also fueled the surge of numerous rumors, hoaxes, and misinformation, regarding the etiology, outcomes, prevention, and cure of the disease. Such spread of misinformation is masking healthy behaviors and promoting erroneous practices that increase the spread of the virus and ultimately result in poor physical and mental health outcomes among individuals. Myriad incidents of mishaps caused by these rumors have been reported globally. To address this issue, the frontline healthcare providers should be equipped with the most recent research findings and accurate information. The mass media, healthcare organization, community-based organizations, and other important stakeholders should build strategic partnerships and launch common platforms for disseminating authentic public health messages. Also, advanced technologies like natural language processing or data mining approaches should be applied in the detection and removal of online content with no scientific basis from all social media platforms. Furthermore, these practices should be controlled with regulatory and law enforcement measures alongside ensuring telemedicine-based services providing accurate information on COVID-19.

Combating COVID-19-The role of robotics in managing public health and infectious diseases.

Abstract: COVID-19 may drive sustained research in robotics to address risks of infectious diseases. COVID-19 may drive sustained research in robotics to address risks of infectious diseases.

Mental health outcomes of quarantine and isolation for infection prevention: a systematic umbrella review of the global evidence.

Abstract: Objectives Transmission of infectious diseases is often prevented by quarantine and isolation of the populations at risk. These approaches restrict the mobility, social interactions, and daily activities of the affected individuals. In recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, quarantine and isolation are being adopted in many contexts, which necessitates an evaluation of global evidence on how such measures impact the mental health outcomes among populations. This umbrella review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on mental health outcomes of quarantine and isolation for preventing infectious diseases. Methods We searched nine major databases and additional sources and included articles if they were systematically conducted reviews, published as peer-reviewed journal articles, and reported mental health outcomes of quarantine or isolation in any population. Results Among 1,364 citations, only eight reviews met our criteria. Most of the primary studies in those reviews were conducted in high-income nations and in hospital settings. These articles reported a high burden of mental health problems among patients, informal caregivers, and healthcare providers who experienced quarantine or isolation. Prevalent mental health problems among the affected individuals include depression, anxiety, mood disorders, psychological distress, posttraumatic stress disorder, insomnia, fear, stigmatization, low self-esteem, lack of self-control, and other adverse mental health outcomes. Conclusions This umbrella review found severe mental health problems among individuals and populations who have undergone quarantine and isolation in different contexts. This evidence necessitates multipronged interventions including policy measures for strengthening mental health services globally and promoting psychosocial wellbeing among high-risk populations.

Engineered biomaterials for in situ tissue regeneration

Abstract: In situ tissue regeneration harnesses the body’s regenerative potential to control cell functions for tissue repair. The design of biomaterials for in situ tissue engineering requires precise control over biophysical and biochemical cues to direct endogenous cells to the site of injury. These cues are required to induce regeneration by modulating the extracellular microenvironment or driving cellular reprogramming. In this Review, we outline two biomaterials approaches to control the regenerative capacity of the body for tissue-specific regeneration. The first approach includes the use of bioresponsive materials with an ability to direct endogenous cells, including immune cells and progenitor or stem cells, to facilitate tissue healing, integration and regeneration. The second approach focuses on in situ cellular reprogramming via delivery of transcription factors, RNA-based therapeutics, in vivo gene editing and biomaterials-driven epigenetic transformation. In addition, we highlight tools for engineering the next generation of biomaterials to modulate in situ tissue regeneration. Overall, leveraging the regenerative potential of the human body via engineered biomaterials is a simple and effective approach to replace injured or diseased tissues. In situ tissue regeneration harnesses the body’s regenerative potential for tissue repair using engineered biomaterials. In this Review, we outline various biomaterials approaches to control the body’s regenerative capacity for tissue-specific regeneration by modulating the extracellular microenvironment or driving cellular reprogramming.

Hydrogel Bioink Reinforcement for Additive Manufacturing: A Focused Review of Emerging Strategies.

Abstract: Bioprinting is an emerging approach for fabricating cell-laden 3D scaffolds via robotic deposition of cells and biomaterials into custom shapes and patterns to replicate complex tissue architectures. Bioprinting uses hydrogel solutions called bioinks as both cell carriers and structural components, requiring bioinks to be highly printable while providing a robust and cell-friendly microenvironment. Unfortunately, conventional hydrogel bioinks have not been able to meet these requirements and are mechanically weak due to their heterogeneously crosslinked networks and lack of energy dissipation mechanisms. Advanced bioink designs using various methods of dissipating mechanical energy are aimed at developing next-generation cellularized 3D scaffolds to mimic anatomical size, tissue architecture, and tissue-specific functions. These next-generation bioinks need to have high print fidelity and should provide a biocompatible microenvironment along with improved mechanical properties. To design these advanced bioink formulations, it is important to understand the structure-property-function relationships of hydrogel networks. By specifically leveraging biophysical and biochemical characteristics of hydrogel networks, high performance bioinks can be designed to control and direct cell functions. In this review article, current and emerging approaches in hydrogel design and bioink reinforcement techniques are critically evaluated. This bottom-up perspective provides a materials-centric approach to bioink design for 3D bioprinting.

Determination of Brain Death/Death by Neurologic Criteria: The World Brain Death Project.

Abstract: Importance There are inconsistencies in concept, criteria, practice, and documentation of brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC) both internationally and within countries. Objective To formulate a consensus statement of recommendations on determination of BD/DNC based on review of the literature and expert opinion of a large multidisciplinary, international panel. Process Relevant international professional societies were recruited to develop recommendations regarding determination of BD/DNC. Literature searches of the Cochrane, Embase, and MEDLINE databases included January 1, 1992, through April 2020 identified pertinent articles for review. Because of the lack of high-quality data from randomized clinical trials or large observational studies, recommendations were formulated based on consensus of contributors and medical societies that represented relevant disciplines, including critical care, neurology, and neurosurgery. Evidence Synthesis Based on review of the literature and consensus from a large multidisciplinary, international panel, minimum clinical criteria needed to determine BD/DNC in various circumstances were developed. Recommendations Prior to evaluating a patient for BD/DNC, the patient should have an established neurologic diagnosis that can lead to the complete and irreversible loss of all brain function, and conditions that may confound the clinical examination and diseases that may mimic BD/DNC should be excluded. Determination of BD/DNC can be done with a clinical examination that demonstrates coma, brainstem areflexia, and apnea. This is seen when (1) there is no evidence of arousal or awareness to maximal external stimulation, including noxious visual, auditory, and tactile stimulation; (2) pupils are fixed in a midsize or dilated position and are nonreactive to light; (3) corneal, oculocephalic, and oculovestibular reflexes are absent; (4) there is no facial movement to noxious stimulation; (5) the gag reflex is absent to bilateral posterior pharyngeal stimulation; (6) the cough reflex is absent to deep tracheal suctioning; (7) there is no brain-mediated motor response to noxious stimulation of the limbs; and (8) spontaneous respirations are not observed when apnea test targets reach pH Conclusions and Relevance This report provides recommendations for the minimum clinical standards for determination of brain death/death by neurologic criteria in adults and children with clear guidance for various clinical circumstances. The recommendations have widespread international society endorsement and can serve to guide professional societies and countries in the revision or development of protocols and procedures for determination of brain death/death by neurologic criteria, leading to greater consistency within and between countries.

Large stocks of peatland carbon and nitrogen are vulnerable to permafrost thaw.

Abstract: Northern peatlands have accumulated large stocks of organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N), but their spatial distribution and vulnerability to climate warming remain uncertain. Here, we used machine-learning techniques with extensive peat core data (n > 7,000) to create observation-based maps of northern peatland C and N stocks, and to assess their response to warming and permafrost thaw. We estimate that northern peatlands cover 3.7 ± 0.5 million km2 and store 415 ± 150 Pg C and 10 ± 7 Pg N. Nearly half of the peatland area and peat C stocks are permafrost affected. Using modeled global warming stabilization scenarios (from 1.5 to 6 °C warming), we project that the current sink of atmospheric C (0.10 ± 0.02 Pg C⋅y-1) in northern peatlands will shift to a C source as 0.8 to 1.9 million km2 of permafrost-affected peatlands thaw. The projected thaw would cause peatland greenhouse gas emissions equal to ∼1% of anthropogenic radiative forcing in this century. The main forcing is from methane emissions (0.7 to 3 Pg cumulative CH4-C) with smaller carbon dioxide forcing (1 to 2 Pg CO2-C) and minor nitrous oxide losses. We project that initial CO2-C losses reverse after ∼200 y, as warming strengthens peatland C-sinks. We project substantial, but highly uncertain, additional losses of peat into fluvial systems of 10 to 30 Pg C and 0.4 to 0.9 Pg N. The combined gaseous and fluvial peatland C loss estimated here adds 30 to 50% onto previous estimates of permafrost-thaw C losses, with southern permafrost regions being the most vulnerable.

Leadership competencies and the essential role of human resource development in times of crisis: a response to Covid-19 pandemic

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to investigate the roles of domestic and global leaders and organizations to COVID-19 and to consider the new role(s) of Human Resource Development (HRD) based on the ramif...

FGF/FGFR signaling in health and disease

Abstract: Growing evidences suggest that the fibroblast growth factor/FGF receptor (FGF/FGFR) signaling has crucial roles in a multitude of processes during embryonic development and adult homeostasis by regulating cellular lineage commitment, differentiation, proliferation, and apoptosis of various types of cells. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of FGF signaling and its roles in organ development, injury repair, and the pathophysiology of spectrum of diseases, which is a consequence of FGF signaling dysregulation, including cancers and chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this context, the agonists and antagonists for FGF-FGFRs might have therapeutic benefits in multiple systems.

Extraction and validation of a new set of CMS pythia8 tunes from underlying-event measurements

Abstract: New sets of CMS underlying-event parameters (“tunes”) are presented for the pythia8 event generator. These tunes use the NNPDF3.1 parton distribution functions (PDFs) at leading (LO), next-to-leading (NLO), or next-to-next-to-leading (NNLO) orders in perturbative quantum chromodynamics, and the strong coupling evolution at LO or NLO. Measurements of charged-particle multiplicity and transverse momentum densities at various hadron collision energies are fit simultaneously to determine the parameters of the tunes. Comparisons of the predictions of the new tunes are provided for observables sensitive to the event shapes at LEP, global underlying event, soft multiparton interactions, and double-parton scattering contributions. In addition, comparisons are made for observables measured in various specific processes, such as multijet, Drell–Yan, and top quark-antiquark pair production including jet substructure observables. The simulation of the underlying event provided by the new tunes is interfaced to a higher-order matrix-element calculation. For the first time, predictions from pythia8 obtained with tunes based on NLO or NNLO PDFs are shown to reliably describe minimum-bias and underlying-event data with a similar level of agreement to predictions from tunes using LO PDF sets.

Tourism in a world with pandemics: local-global responsibility and action

Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a swift perspective to JTF readers on the novel coronavirus outbreak that commenced in Wuhan, China in December 2019 and is currently ongoing The study situates the current outbreak within prior pandemics and offers some directions for research and practice Swift attention is needed to this event and the future of travel and tourism in a world where disease outbreaks and pandemics will become increasingly frequent due to increased travel and ease of access to destinations worldwide Design/methodology/approach: This paper draws from published academic research studies, as well as current media sources emerging, as the novel coronavirus situation is unfolding In addition, the authors draw on the multidisciplinary expertise of the two authors (one based in tourism studies and the other an epidemiologist and public health expert) Findings: This paper captures events on the novel coronavirus, as they are unfolding now, situates this in relation to the research literature on past pandemics like severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Ebola and draws some important directions to guide research and practice Research limitations/implications: This is a viewpoint paper and offers some emerging perspectives, issues and challenges arising in relation to the current novel coronavirus outbreak This is situated more broadly in a large research literature that has been drawn on in a very succinct manner to ground this viewpoint Future research will need to explore the larger literature Practical implications: This viewpoint offers the following valuable implications for practice at the local level and the regional/global level: countering misinformation and xenophobia through the communication of accurate facts related to the disease in question (the novel coronavirus in this case) is essential;close collaboration and cooperation between tourism stakeholders (including service providers and destination management organizations) and public health authorities;greater responsibility by residents and tourists to seek out correct scientific facts on the disease and take sensible precautions, as well as exercise care to those suffering the adverse impacts;and global coordination and attention to vulnerable destinations is needed more concretely (recommended in crisis management and recovery studies but not well implemented yet) Social implications: As noted above under practical implications, this viewpoint identified important social implications in terms of inequities and injustices that arise during disease outbreaks like the novel coronavirus and prior outbreaks like SARS and Ebola These range from discrimination and racism as well as inequities related to managing the impacts on vulnerable destinations whose health facilities may be far from adequate to handle such outbreaks and the challenges of misinformation among visitors and residents that indirectly or directly affect the destination Originality/value: This viewpoint is being submitted as the novel coronavirus epidemic is unfolding, and it is hoped that sharing it speedily via an open access journal will assist in better managing the research of what will continue to be an increasing future challenge for destinations and societies in a world of mobilities and increasing travel forecast © 2020, Tazim Jamal and Christine Budke

Towards Deeper Graph Neural Networks

Abstract: Graph neural networks have shown significant success in the field of graph representation learning. Graph convolutions perform neighborhood aggregation and represent one of the most important graph operations. Nevertheless, one layer of these neighborhood aggregation methods only consider immediate neighbors, and the performance decreases when going deeper to enable larger receptive fields. Several recent studies attribute this performance deterioration to the over-smoothing issue, which states that repeated propagation makes node representations of different classes indistinguishable. In this work, we study this observation systematically and develop new insights towards deeper graph neural networks. First, we provide a systematical analysis on this issue and argue that the key factor compromising the performance significantly is the entanglement of representation transformation and propagation in current graph convolution operations. After decoupling these two operations, deeper graph neural networks can be used to learn graph node representations from larger receptive fields. We further provide a theoretical analysis of the above observation when building very deep models, which can serve as a rigorous and gentle description of the over-smoothing issue. Based on our theoretical and empirical analysis, we propose Deep Adaptive Graph Neural Network (DAGNN) to adaptively incorporate information from large receptive fields. A set of experiments on citation, co-authorship, and co-purchase datasets have confirmed our analysis and insights and demonstrated the superiority of our proposed methods.

Flame-retardant surface treatments

Abstract: Flame retardants mitigate the threat of fire from inherently flammable materials responsible for sustaining a high standard of living. Although bulk flame retardants have proven effective for many years, there is now increased interest in the use of surface treatments to localize flame-retardant chemistry at the exterior of a material, where combustion occurs, in an effort to preserve desirable bulk properties and minimize the amount of additive needed. This Review provides a historical overview that leads to the most promising surface treatments that will help pave the way for developing more effective and non-intrusive flame retardants in the future. The way in which a fire transpires, and the various chemistries and mechanisms used to counteract fire propagation, are discussed. Challenges that remain to improve current flame-retardant surface treatments are also addressed, as the success of these treatments depends on the scalability, durability and ability to impart desired functionality without conferring environmental problems. Fire endangers lives and property worldwide. Significant efforts are underway to develop flame-retardant surface treatments that minimize the weight added to a given object and preserve its intrinsic mechanical properties. This review summarizes the history and latest developments in flame-retardant treatments, as well as outlining the challenges ahead.

Association of Use of an Intravascular Microaxial Left Ventricular Assist Device vs Intra-aortic Balloon Pump With In-Hospital Mortality and Major Bleeding Among Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Complicated by Cardiogenic Shock

Abstract: Importance Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) complicated by cardiogenic shock is associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Although intravascular microaxial left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) provide greater hemodynamic support as compared with intra-aortic balloon pumps (IABPs), little is known about clinical outcomes associated with intravascular microaxial LVAD use in clinical practice. Objective To examine outcomes among patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock treated with mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices. Design, Setting, and Participants A propensity-matched registry-based retrospective cohort study of patients with AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock undergoing PCI between October 1, 2015, and December 31, 2017, who were included in data from hospitals participating in the CathPCI and the Chest Pain-MI registries, both part of the American College of Cardiology’s National Cardiovascular Data Registry. Patients receiving an intravascular microaxial LVAD were matched with those receiving IABP on demographics, clinical history, presentation, infarct location, coronary anatomy, and clinical laboratory data, with final follow-up through December 31, 2017. Exposures Hemodynamic support, categorized as intravascular microaxial LVAD use only, IABP only, other (such as use of a percutaneous extracorporeal ventricular assist system, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, or a combination of MCS device use), or medical therapy only. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were in-hospital mortality and in-hospital major bleeding. Results Among 28 304 patients undergoing PCI for AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock, the mean (SD) age was 65.0 (12.6) years, 67.0% were men, 81.3% had an ST-elevation myocardial infarction, and 43.3% had cardiac arrest. Over the study period among patients with AMI, an intravascular microaxial LVAD was used in 6.2% of patients, and IABP was used in 29.9%. Among 1680 propensity-matched pairs, there was a significantly higher risk of in-hospital death associated with use of an intravascular microaxial LVAD (45.0%) vs with an IABP (34.1% [absolute risk difference, 10.9 percentage points {95% CI, 7.6-14.2};P Conclusions and Relevance Among patients undergoing PCI for AMI complicated by cardiogenic shock from 2015 to 2017, use of an intravascular microaxial LVAD compared with IABP was associated with higher adjusted risk of in-hospital death and major bleeding complications, although study interpretation is limited by the observational design. Further research may be needed to understand optimal device choice for these patients.

Boosting Interfacial Charge-Transfer Kinetics for Efficient Overall CO 2 Photoreduction via Rational Design of Coordination Spheres on Metal-Organic Frameworks.

Abstract: The recombination of electron-hole pairs severely detracts from the efficiency of photocatalysts. This issue could be addressed in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) through optimization of the charge-transfer kinetics via rational design of structures at atomic level. Herein, a pyrazolyl porphyrinic Ni-MOF (PCN-601), integrating light harvesters, active catalytic sites, and high surface areas, has been demonstrated as a superior and durable photocatalyst for visible-light-driven overall CO2 reduction with H2O vapor at room temperature. Kinetic studies reveal that the robust coordination spheres of pyrazolyl groups and Ni-oxo clusters endow PCN-601 with proper energy band alignment and ultrafast ligand-to-node electron transfer. Consequently, the CO2-to-CH4 production rate of PCN-601 far exceeds those of the analogous MOFs based on carboxylate porphyrin and the classic Pt/CdS photocatalyst by more than 3- and 20-fold, respectively. The reaction avoids the use of hole scavengers and proceeds in a gaseous phase which can take full advantage of the high gas uptake of MOFs. This work demonstrates that the rational design of coordination spheres in MOF structures not only reconciles the contradiction between reactivity and stability but also greatly promotes the interfacial charge transfer to achieve optimized kinetics, providing guidance for the design of highly efficient MOF photocatalysts.

Blockchain in global supply chains and cross border trade: a critical synthesis of the state-of-the-art, challenges and opportunities

Abstract: Blockchain possesses the potential of transforming global supply chain management. Gartner predicts that blockchain could be able to track $2 T of goods and services in their movement across the gl...