Supplementary Material Online Research Articles

Proximal crossing of the left coronary arteries with a septal branch arising from the left circumflex artery.

A 73-year-old woman with exertional dyspnoea without retrosternal pain was referred for cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA). An anomaly of the coronary artery anatomy was detected with separate ostia of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) and the left circumflex artery (LCX) from the left sinus of Valsalva (Figures 1 and 2, Supplementary material online, Figure S1, and Videos 1 and 2). The LCX ostium was located anterior to the LAD ostium and a proximal crossing of the LAD and LCX was identified with epicardial LAD crossing superior to LCX. Immediately distal to the crossing, a septal branch separated from LCX. Since the CCTA scan revealed no coronary artery stenosis or intramyocardial bridging no further ischaemia testing was done.

Bayesian Semiparametric Analysis of Multivariate Continuous Responses, With Variable Selection

This article presents an approach to Bayesian semiparametric inference for Gaussian multivariate response regression. We are motivated by various small and medium dimensional problems from the physical and social sciences. The statistical challenges revolve around dealing with the unknown mean and variance functions and in particular, the correlation matrix. To tackle these problems, we have developed priors over the smooth functions and a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for inference and model selection. Specifically, Dirichlet process mixtures of Gaussian distributions are used as the basis for a cluster-inducing prior over the elements of the correlation matrix. The smooth, multidimensional means and variances are represented using radial basis function expansions. The complexity of the model, in terms of variable selection and smoothness, is then controlled by spike-slab priors. A simulation study is presented, demonstrating performance as the response dimension increases. Finally, the model is fit to a number of real world datasets. An R package, scripts for replicating synthetic and real data examples, and a detailed description of the MCMC sampler are available in the supplementary materials online.

Sweet Chestnut (Castanea sativa Mill.) in Britain: Re-assessment of its Status as a Roman Archaeophyte

ABSTRACTThe Roman period sees the introduction of many new plants and animals into Britain, with a profound impact on people's experience of their environment. Sweet chestnut is considered to be one such introduction, for which records of sweet chestnut wood and charcoal from archaeological excavations of Romano-British period contexts have been used as evidence. This paper reviews the records for sweet chestnut in Britain pre-a.d. 650, by critically evaluating original excavation reports and examining archived specimens. This review re-assesses the original identifications of sweet chestnut and/or their dating and concludes that most of the evidence that justified sweet chestnut's status as a Roman archaeophyte is untenable. The review emphasises the importance of securely identifying and directly dating plant material and of long-term curation by museums and archives. The Supplementary Material online (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0068113X19000011) contains details of all published records of finds of sweet chesnut.

Trends in Melanoma Incidence Rates in Eight Susceptible Populations through 2015

Trends in Melanoma Incidence Rates in Eight Susceptible Populations through 2015

Disinhibition of Touch-Evoked Itch in a Mouse Model of Psoriasis

Disinhibition of Touch-Evoked Itch in a Mouse Model of Psoriasis

Using the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy to prepare and publish a treatment for the Caryophyllales Network: an online synthesis of the Nepenthaceae

The Caryophyllales Network strives to assemble an online dynamic synthesis of the order Caryophyllales, uniting the current knowledge about the phylogeny of the order with up-to-date information on the individual taxa contained. Capturing taxonomic data and the decision processes involved in the definition and circumscription of the taxa requires highly complex specialized software. The Caryophyllales Network uses the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy for that purpose. In the context of the online treatment of the family Nepenthaceae, we describe the steps taken to assemble the database, the interaction with other electronic sources, the links with the World Flora Online initiative, and the prospects for the maintenance and further development of the Nepenthaceae segment of the Caryophyllales database. Nepenthaceae constitute an example of a family with a relatively recent flora treatment (Flora Malesiana, published in 2001), which to a large extent covers its total range of distribution, but with further species subsequently described as new to science in mostly regional treatments, and with an analysis of relationships and species limits on the basis of evolutionary methods just emerging. A snapshot of the current state of the database is provided as an annotated checklist in PDF format in the Supplementary Material online, which includes 176 species and nine naturally occurring named hybrids and treats 435 species and infraspecific names.Citation: Berendsohn W. G., Borsch T., Guntsch A., Kohlbecker A., Korotkova N., Luther K., Muller A., Plitzner P. & Mering S. von 2018: Using the EDIT Platform for Cybertaxonomy to prepare and publish a treatment for the Caryophyllales Network: an online synthesis of the Nepenthaceae. – Willdenowia 48: 335–344. doi: https://doi.org/10.3372/wi.48.48301Version of record first published online on 17 September 2018 ahead of inclusion in December 2018 issue.

Aging-Associated Decline of Epidermal PSMD8 Contributes to Impaired Skin Function

Aging-Associated Decline of Epidermal PSMD8 Contributes to Impaired Skin Function

An Ameliorated Improvement Factor Model for Imperfect Maintenance and Its Goodness of Fit

ABSTRACTMaintenance actions can be classified, according to their efficiency, into three categories: perfect maintenance, imperfect maintenance, and minimal maintenance. To date, the literature on imperfect maintenance is voluminous, and many models have been developed to treat imperfect maintenance. Yet, there are two important problems in the community of maintenance that still remain wide open: how to give practical grounds for an imperfect-maintenance model, and how to test the fit of a real dataset to an imperfect-maintenance model. Motivated by these two pending problems, this work develops an imperfect-maintenance model by taking a physically meaningful approach. For the practical implementation of the developed model, we advance two methods, called QMI method and spacing-likelihood algorithm, to estimate involved unknown parameters. The two methods complete each other and are widely applicable. To offer a practical guide for testing fit to an imperfect-maintenance model, this work promotes a bootstrapping approach to approximating the distribution of a test statistic. The attractions and dilemmas of QMI method and spacing-likelihood algorithm are revealed via simulated data. The utility of the developed imperfect-maintenance model is evidenced via a real dataset. This article has a supplementary material online.

Consistent Testing for Pairwise Dependence in Time Series

ABSTRACTWe consider the problem of testing pairwise dependence for stationary time series. For this, we suggest the use of a Box–Ljung-type test statistic that is formed after calculating the distance covariance function among pairs of observations. The distance covariance function is a suitable measure for detecting dependencies between observations as it is based on the distance between the characteristic function of the joint distribution of the random variables and the product of the marginals. We show that, under the null hypothesis of independence and under mild regularity conditions, the test statistic converges to a normal random variable. The results are complemented by several examples. This article has supplementary material online.

Confidence Corridors for Multivariate Generalized Quantile Regression

We focus on the construction of confidence corridors for multivariate nonparametric generalized quantile regression functions. This construction is based on asymptotic results for the maximal deviation between a suitable nonparametric estimator and the true function of interest, which follow after a series of approximation steps including a Bahadur representation, a new strong approximation theorem, and exponential tail inequalities for Gaussian random fields. As a byproduct we also obtain multivariate confidence corridors for the regression function in the classical mean regression. To deal with the problem of slowly decreasing error in coverage probability of the asymptotic confidence corridors, which results in meager coverage for small sample sizes, a simple bootstrap procedure is designed based on the leading term of the Bahadur representation. The finite-sample properties of both procedures are investigated by means of a simulation study and it is demonstrated that the bootstrap procedure considerably outperforms the asymptotic bands in terms of coverage accuracy. Finally, the bootstrap confidence corridors are used to study the efficacy of the National Supported Work Demonstration, which is a randomized employment enhancement program launched in the 1970s. This article has supplementary materials online.

MYO5A Gene Is a Target of MITF in Melanocytes

MYO5A Gene Is a Target of MITF in Melanocytes

High-Order Composite Likelihood Inference for Max-Stable Distributions and Processes

In multivariate or spatial extremes, inference for max-stable processes observed at a large collection of points is a very challenging problem and current approaches typically rely on less expensive composite likelihoods constructed from small subsets of data. In this work, we explore the limits of modern state-of-the-art computational facilities to perform full likelihood inference and to efficiently evaluate high-order composite likelihoods. With extensive simulations, we assess the loss of information of composite likelihood estimators with respect to a full likelihood approach for some widely used multivariate or spatial extreme models, we discuss how to choose composite likelihood truncation to improve the efficiency, and we also provide recommendations for practitioners. This article has supplementary material online.

Construction of nested orthogonal arrays of parallel-flats type

Recently, construction of nested orthogonal arrays receives notable attention, which serves as a stepping stone for planning deterministic computer simulations with various levels of accuracy. In this article, a new class of nested orthogonal arrays called the nested orthogonal arrays of parallel-flats type is introduced for addressing this interesting issue. Firstly, sufficient and necessary condition is presented for constructing the proposed designs, and a new collection of nested orthogonal arrays is then explicitly characterized. Furthermore, a heuristic algorithm is devised to search the proposed designs with small to moderate run-sizes, and some analytical methods are developed for generating large designs through existing small ones. For a given number of input variables of interest, a series of the proposed designs with various run-sizes is obtained and collected in a catalogue. This offers a reference for a practitioner to plan a two-fidelity computer experiment. This article has supplementary materials online.

The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-third Adult Lung and Heart–Lung Transplant Report—2016; Focus Theme: Primary Diagnostic Indications for Transplant

The Registry of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation: Thirty-third Adult Lung and Heart–Lung Transplant Report—2016; Focus Theme: Primary Diagnostic Indications for Transplant

Should we reconsider the role of age in treatment allocation for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease?

Clinical practice guidelines for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are centred on a high-risk approach. The current role of cardiovascular risk assessment in clinical practice is two-fold. First, it serves as a starting point for risk communication between physicians and patients. Secondly, it is used as the primary mode to select candidates for lipid-lowering treatment (see Supplementary material online, Figures S1–S3 ).1–3 Based on an individual's age and risk factor profile, CVD risk calculators provide clinicians with an estimate of the individual's probability for developing CVD in the coming 10 years.4–6 Since CVD is highly age related, age is the strongest predictor for CVD in such calculators. In the most recent revisions of American and British prevention guidelines, risk thresholds for initiation of pharmacological treatment to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol have been substantially lowered. This decision has been driven by the accumulating data on the efficacy7,8 and safety profile9,10 of statins in primary prevention, as well as the low costs of generic statins. However, by lowering the thresholds, otherwise healthy older adults with minimal or no risk factors are now considered candidates for statin treatment solely by virtue of their age. Doctors are recommended to discuss statin initiation with men who have optimal risk factor levels at an age between 63 and 66 in the USA or UK ( Table 1 ). For women this is the case around the age of 70. As a consequence, the vast majority of individuals aged 55–65 and almost everyone aged ≥65 in the general population is currently considered a candidate for statin treatment in both the …

Commentary: "How Much is that Player in the Window? The One with the Early Birthday?" Relative Age Influences the Value of the Best Soccer Players, but Not the Best Businesspeople.

Commentary: "How Much is that Player in the Window? The One with the Early Birthday?" Relative Age Influences the Value of the Best Soccer Players, but Not the Best Businesspeople.

Parameter Expanded Algorithms for Bayesian Latent Variable Modeling of Genetic Pleiotropy Data

Motivated by genetic association studies of pleiotropy, we propose a Bayesian latent variable approach to jointly study multiple outcomes. The models studied here can incorporate both continuous and binary responses, and can account for serial and cluster correlations. We consider Bayesian estimation for the model parameters, and we develop a novel MCMC algorithm that builds upon hierarchical centering and parameter expansion techniques to efficiently sample from the posterior distribution. We evaluate the proposed method via extensive simulations and demonstrate its utility with an application to an association study of various complication outcomes related to Type 1 diabetes. This article has supplementary material online.

Phenotypic and Histopathological Tumor Characteristics According to CDKN2A Mutation Status among Affected Members of Melanoma Families

Phenotypic and Histopathological Tumor Characteristics According to CDKN2A Mutation Status among Affected Members of Melanoma Families

A Decomposition Strategy for the Variational Inference of Complex Systems

Markov chain Monte Carlo approaches have been widely used for Bayesian inference. The drawback of these methods is that they can be computationally prohibitive especially when complex models are analyzed. In such cases, variational methods may provide an efficient and attractive alternative. However, the variational methods reported to date are applicable to relatively simple models and most are based on a factorized approximation to the posterior distribution. Here, we propose a variational approach that is capable of handling models that consist of a system of differential-algebraic equations and whose posterior approximation can be represented by a multivariate distribution. Under the proposed approach, the solution of the variational inference problem is decomposed into three steps: a maximum a posteriori optimization, which is facilitated by using an orthogonal collocation approach, a preprocessing step, which is based on the estimation of the eigenvectors of the posterior covariance matrix, and an expected propagation optimization problem. To tackle multivariate integration, we employ quadratures derived from the Smolyak rule (sparse grids). Examples are reported to elucidate the advantages and limitations of the proposed methodology. The results are compared to the solutions obtained from a Markov chain Monte Carlo approach. It is demonstrated that significant computational savings can be gained using the proposed approach. This article has supplementary material online.

Reversal strategies for non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants: a critical appraisal of available evidence and recommendations for clinical management-a joint position paper of the European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy and European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis.

Bleeding is the main adverse effect when using oral anticoagulants (OACs). The risk of major bleeding with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) is dependent on the quality of anticoagulation control and estimated to be ∼1.3/100 patients/year in patients with INR 2.0–3.0.1,2 Multiple limitations of VKAs stimulated the development of non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) acting directly on coagulation factors, including factor FIIa (thrombin) and FXa. Pharmacological properties of the NOACs relevant for bleeding are summarized in the supplement including Supplementary material online, Table S1 and their main effects are summarized in Supplementary material online, Table S2 . The risk of bleeding in patients managed with NOACs was properly assessed in the four landmark Phase III trials in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF; Table 1 ). Major bleeding was the principal safety outcome in RE-LY,3,4 ARISTOTLE,5 and ENGAGE AF.6 In ROCKET-AF, the primary safety endpoint was the composite of major and non-major clinically relevant bleeding.7 The risk of major bleeding was significantly reduced with dabigatran 110 mg b.i.d., apixaban and both doses of edoxaban3–6 while the bleeding rates for dabigatran 150 mg b.i.d. and rivaroxaban were similar to those with warfarin ( Table 1 ). View this table: Table 1 Risk of bleeding with non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation (rates per 100 patients-years) Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding accounts for ∼90% of major extracranial haemorrhages in patients with AF receiving VKAs.8 With the NOACs, dabigatran 150 mg b.i.d., rivaroxaban, and edoxaban 60 mg o.d. significantly increased rates of GI bleeding (∼1.5-fold) compared with warfarin.3,6,7 While rivaroxaban increases upper and lower GI bleeding …