Operationalizing the DataGauge Framework in a Health Information Exchange Utilizing Hepatitis C Data

This project aims to implement the DataGauge framework in a health information exchange (HIE) setting as a proof of concept. The modified DataGauge framework, described by Diaz-Garelli et al. (2019), is utilized to test its functionality and applicability with any dataset. The specific objective of the project is to determine the number of hepatitis C-positive tests within the HIE. The implementation involved multiple iterations following the DataGauge framework\u27s steps for data extraction and analysis. Five iterations were conducted, resulting in both successful and failed queries based on the validity of the data standards. The findings revealed that the HIE, in this case, did not have complete access to the clinical data required to answer the initial question about the number of hepatitis C-positive patients; rather, the HIE only received information from patients who consented to share their health data and were approved by their physicians. To address this limitation, a recommendation is proposed based on Guerrero et al.\u27s (2019) workflow. The recommendation suggests granting an intermediary actor (referred to as the analyst) access to all clinic data, regardless of patient consent status. The analyst would then gather and deidentify the relevant clinical data, with explicit permission from the clinic, and provide it to the Rio Grande Valley HIE (RGV HIE). This approach would enable the RGV HIE to legally access non-participant data through deidentified datasets or aggregated count/sum data, while ensuring compliance and collaboration. By implementing this recommended process, the RGV HIE can enhance its preparedness for future clinical questions, grants, partnerships, and public health emergencies. Moreover, this model can be applied to other data warehouses and HIEs nationwide

Non-Parametric Estimation of Multiple Periodic Components in Turkey's Electricity Consumption

Electric generation and consumption are an essential component of contemporary living, influencing diverse facets of our daily routines, convenience, and economic progress. There is a high demand for characterizing the periodic pattern of electricity consumption. VBPBB employs a bandpass filter aligned to retain the frequency of a PC component and eliminating interference from other components. This leads to a significant reduction in the size of bootstrapped confidence intervals. Furthermore, other PC bootstrap methods preserve one but not multiple periodically correlated components, resulting in superior performance compared to other methods by providing a more precise estimation of the sampling distribution for the desired characteristics. The study of the periodic means of Turkey electricity consumption using VBPBB is presented and compared with outcomes from alternative bootstrapping approaches. These findings offer significant evidence supporting the existence of daily, weekly, and annual PC patterns, along with information on their timing and confidence intervals for their effects. This information is valuable for enhancing predictions and preparations for future responses to electricity consumption.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figures and 1 tabl

Group II Intron Protein Localization and Insertion Sites Are Affected by Polyphosphate

Mobile group II introns consist of a catalytic intron RNA and an intron-encoded protein with reverse transcriptase activity, which act together in a ribonucleoprotein particle to promote DNA integration during intron mobility. Previously, we found that the Lactococcus lactis Ll.LtrB intron-encoded protein (LtrA) expressed alone or with the intron RNA to form ribonucleoprotein particles localizes to bacterial cellular poles, potentially accounting for the intron's preferential insertion in the oriC and ter regions of the Escherichia coli chromosome. Here, by using cell microarrays and automated fluorescence microscopy to screen a transposon-insertion library, we identified five E. coli genes (gppA, uhpT, wcaK, ynbC, and zntR) whose disruption results in both an increased proportion of cells with more diffuse LtrA localization and a more uniform genomic distribution of Ll.LtrB-insertion sites. Surprisingly, we find that a common factor affecting LtrA localization in these and other disruptants is the accumulation of intracellular polyphosphate, which appears to bind LtrA and other basic proteins and delocalize them away from the poles. Our findings show that the intracellular localization of a group II intron-encoded protein is a major determinant of insertion-site preference. More generally, our results suggest that polyphosphate accumulation may provide a means of localizing proteins to different sites of action during cellular stress or entry into stationary phase, with potentially wide physiological consequences.This work was supported by National Institutes of Health R01 grants GM037949 to AML and GM076536 to EMM, Welch Foundation grants F-1607 to AML and F-1515 to EMM, and a Packard Foundation fellowship to EMM.Cellular and Molecular Biolog

Methods for Forming Ignitable Heterogeneous Structures DIV

A method for forming a metastable intermolecular composite (MIC) includes providing a vacuum level of \u3c10 \u3e-8 torr base pressure in a deposition chamber. A first layer of material of a metal that is reactive with water vapor is deposited, followed by depositing a second layer of a second material of a metal oxide on the first layer. The first and second material are capable of an exothermic chemical reaction to form at least one product, and the first and second material are sufficiently close physical proximity so that upon initiation the exothermic reaction develops into a self initiating chemical reaction. The interfacial region averaging.In one embodiment, the first material is Al and the second material is CuOx

Ignitable Heterogeneous Structure and Methods for Forming

A metastable intermolecular composite (MIC)and methods for forming the same includes a first material and a second ma terial having an interfacial region therebetween. The first and second material are capable of an exothermic chemical reaction with one another to form at least one product and are in sufficiently close physical proximity to one another so that upon initiation the exothermic reaction develops into a self initiating reaction. At least one of said first and second materials include a metal that is reactive with water vapor at room temperature. The interfacial region averagesthick, such asembodiment, the first material is Al and the second material is CuOx

Explaining Software as a Service Outsourcing: Economic and Social Considerations

Software as a service (SaaS) offers an innovative way to deliver software over the Internet to distributed organizations. While more and more SaaS providers are joining the market and competition among providers becomes more intense, we need to understand the considerations of potential clients. Built on transaction cost theory and social exchange theory, this study empirically investigates, with a national survey of IT/IS executives, the role of economic factors and the impact of social relationships on the economic factors in firms’ deciding to adopt SaaS. We found that cost savings are a critical consideration in SaaS and that social relationships exert a strong, positive direct impact on cost savings and positively moderate the impact of cost savings on SaaS. This paper expands our theoretical understanding of the SaaS phenomenon and provides some managerial insights

Raman Studies Of Heavily Implanted, Dye-laser-annealed GaAs

Raman scattering is used to study the annealing behavior produced by 10 nsec, 565 nm dye laser pulses in high dose ion-implanted GaAs. Samples were prepared with Sn and Cd implantations of 2, 5, and 10 x 1015 cm2. The Raman spectra indicate that the threshold for epitaxial growth lies between 0.2 - 0.3 J cm2. Best carrier activation (∼ 2%), however, is achieved at ∼1.6 J cm2 for the Sn-implanted sample (n-type). For Cd implantation the electrical activation appears to be very high ({greater-than or approximate} 50%) for low pulse energies({less-than or approximate} 0.3 J cm2) but decreases for higher pulse energies. © 1985

Enhanced Post-Ischemic Neurogenesis in Aging Rats

Hippocampal neurogenesis persists in adult mammals, but its rate declines dramatically with age. Evidence indicates that experimentally-reduced levels of neurogenesis (e.g., by irradiation) in young rats has profound influence on cognition as determined by learning and memory tests. In the present study we asked whether in middle-aged, 10- to 13-months-old rats, cell production can be restored toward the level present in young rats. To manipulate neurogenesis we induced bilateral carotid occlusion with hypotension. This procedure is known to increase neurogenesis in young rats, presumably in a compensatory manner, but until now, has never been tested in aging rats. Cell production was measured at 10, 35, and 90 days after ischemia. The results indicate that neuronal proliferation and differentiation can be transiently restored in middle-aged rats. Furthermore, the effects are more pronounced in the dorsal as opposed to ventral hippocampus thus restoring the dorso-ventral gradient seen in younger rats. Our results support previous findings showing that some of the essential features of the age-dependent decline in neurogenesis are reversible. Thus, it may be possible to manipulate neurogenesis and improve learning and memory in old age

An overview of advances in biomass gasification

Biomass gasification is a widely used thermochemical process for obtaining products with more value and potential applications than the raw material itself. Cutting-edge, innovative and economical gasification techniques with high efficiencies are a prerequisite for the development of this technology. This paper delivers an assessment on the fundamentals such as feedstock types, the impact of different operating parameters, tar formation and cracking, and modelling approaches for biomass gasification. Furthermore, the authors comparatively discuss various conventional mechanisms for gasification as well as recent advances in biomass gasification. Unique gasifiers along with multi-generation strategies are discussed as a means to promote this technology into alternative applications, which require higher flexibility and greater efficiency. A strategy to improve the feasibility and sustainability of biomass gasification is via technological advancement and the minimization of socio-environmental effects. This paper sheds light on diverse areas of biomass gasification as a potentially sustainable and environmentally friendly technology