The National COVID Cohort Collaborative: Clinical Characterization and Early Severity Prediction [preprint]

Background: The majority of U.S. reports of COVID-19 clinical characteristics, disease course, and treatments are from single health systems or focused on one domain. Here we report the creation of the National COVID Cohort Collaborative (N3C), a centralized, harmonized, high-granularity electronic health record repository that is the largest, most representative U.S. cohort of COVID-19 cases and controls to date. This multi-center dataset supports robust evidence-based development of predictive and diagnostic tools and informs critical care and policy. Methods and Findings: In a retrospective cohort study of 1,926,526 patients from 34 medical centers nationwide, we stratified patients using a World Health Organization COVID-19 severity scale and demographics; we then evaluated differences between groups over time using multivariable logistic regression. We established vital signs and laboratory values among COVID-19 patients with different severities, providing the foundation for predictive analytics. The cohort included 174,568 adults with severe acute respiratory syndrome associated with SARS-CoV-2 (PCR \u3e99% or antigen Conclusions: This is the first description of an ongoing longitudinal observational study of patients seen in diverse clinical settings and geographical regions and is the largest COVID-19 cohort in the United States. Such data are the foundation for ML models that can be the basis for generalizable clinical decision support tools. The N3C Data Enclave is unique in providing transparent, reproducible, easily shared, versioned, and fully auditable data and analytic provenance for national-scale patient-level EHR data. The N3C is built for intensive ML analyses by academic, industry, and citizen scientists internationally. Many observational correlations can inform trial designs and care guidelines for this new disease

B633: The Production of Specific Pathogen Free Broilers in Maine

This bulletin describes the methods used and results obtained in the production of broiler chickens free of the common poultry diseases. It is hoped that this study may serve as a guide to those wishing to eradicate or control some of the common disease problems in broiler production.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_bulletin/1037/thumbnail.jp

Evaluation of Cabin Crew Technical Knowledge

Accident and incident reports have indicated that flight attendants have numerous opportunities to provide the flight-deck crew with operational information that may prevent or essen the severity of a potential problem. Additionally, as carrier fleets transition from three person to two person flight-deck crews, the reliance upon the cabin crew for the transfer of this information may increase further. Recent research (Chute & Wiener, 1996) indicates that light attendants do not feel confident in their ability to describe mechanical parts or malfunctions of the aircraft, and the lack of flight attendant technical training has been referenced in a number of recent reports (National Transportation Safety Board, 1992; Transportation Safety Board of Canada, 1995; Chute & Wiener, 1996). The present study explored both flight attendant technical knowledge and flight attendant and dot expectations of flight attendant technical knowledge. To assess the technical knowledge if cabin crewmembers, 177 current flight attendants from two U.S. carriers voluntarily :ompleted a 13-item technical quiz. To investigate expectations of flight attendant technical knowledge, 181 pilots and a second sample of 96 flight attendants, from the same two airlines, completed surveys designed to capture each group's expectations of operational knowledge required of flight attendants. Analyses revealed several discrepancies between the present level of flight attendants

TB9: Newcastle Disease Virus Activity and Volume of Amniotic Allantoic Fluid in Chicken Embryos from Flocks with Different Vaccination Histories

Breeding hens of similar age, 9 to 11 months old, were selected from four flocks, each with a different vaccination history. One flock received no vaccinations, the second received spray and wing web Newcastle disease (ND) vaccine, the third was given three ND dust vaccinations, and the fourth received two dead ND viral vaccinations.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1191/thumbnail.jp

Measurement errors in body size of sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus) and their effect on stock assessment models

Body-size measurement errors are usually ignored in stock assessments, but may be important when body-size data (e.g., from visual sur veys) are imprecise. We used experiments and models to quantify measurement errors and their effects on assessment models for sea scallops (Placopecten magellanicus). Errors in size data obscured modes from strong year classes and increased frequency and size of the largest and smallest sizes, potentially biasing growth, mortality, and biomass estimates. Modeling techniques for errors in age data proved useful for errors in size data. In terms of a goodness of model fit to the assessment data, it was more important to accommodate variance than bias. Models that accommodated size errors fitted size data substantially better. We recommend experimental quantification of errors along with a modeling approach that accommodates measurement errors because a direct algebraic approach was not robust and because error parameters were diff icult to estimate in our assessment model. The importance of measurement errors depends on many factors and should be evaluated on a case by case basis

TB42: The Mycotoxic Effects of Fungi Isolated from Poultry Feed Ingredients: The Response of Ducklings and Performance of Commercial Broiler Chickens Fed Experimentally Infected Corn Diets

The present work, planned to investigate the possibility of mycotoxins occurring in feed ingredients fed to poultry in Maine, was designed with the following objectives: (1) to isolate fungi from poultry feed ingredients; (2) to grow the m separately on corn (the carbohydrate source of poultry rations) for later mixing into the diets; (3) to test the variously infected lots of this corn substrate for mycotoxicity by feeding ducklings, a bioindicator for toxins; (4) to determine the effects of aflatoxin and other mycotoxins from feed ingredients, on the performance of commercial broiler chickens; and (5) to appraise this response as a measure of toxicity of the fungi found in feed ingredients.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/aes_techbulletin/1159/thumbnail.jp