A Modified Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale

Background: The Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale is a prospectively validated physician-rated measure of disease severity for progressive supranuclear palsy. We hypothesized that, according to experts' opinion, individual scores of items would differ in relevance for patients' quality of life, functionality in daily living, and mortality. Thus, changes in the score may not equate to clinically meaningful changes in the patient's status. Objective: The aim of this work was to establish a condensed modified version of the scale focusing on meaningful disease milestones. Methods: Sixteen movement disorders experts evaluated each scale item for its capacity to capture disease milestones (0 = no, 1 = moderate, 2 = severe milestone). Items not capturing severe milestones were eliminated. Remaining items were recalibrated in proportion to milestone severity by collapsing across response categories that yielded identical milestone severity grades. Items with low sensitivity to change were eliminated, based on power calculations using longitudinal 12-month follow-up data from 86 patients with possible or probable progressive supranuclear palsy. Results: The modified scale retained 14 items (yielding 0–2 points each). The items were rated as functionally relevant to disease milestones with comparable severity. The modified scale was sensitive to change over 6 and 12 months and of similar power for clinical trials of disease-modifying therapy as the original scale (achieving 80% power for two-sample t test to detect a 50% slowing with n = 41 and 25% slowing with n = 159 at 12 months). Conclusions: The modified Progressive Supranuclear Palsy Rating Scale may serve as a clinimetrically sound scale to monitor disease progression in clinical trials and routine

Mapping density, diversity and species-richness of the Amazon tree flora

Using 2.046 botanically-inventoried tree plots across the largest tropical forest on Earth, we mapped tree species-diversity and tree species-richness at 0.1-degree resolution, and investigated drivers for diversity and richness. Using only location, stratified by forest type, as predictor, our spatial model, to the best of our knowledge, provides the most accurate map of tree diversity in Amazonia to date, explaining approximately 70% of the tree diversity and species-richness. Large soil-forest combinations determine a significant percentage of the variation in tree species-richness and tree alpha-diversity in Amazonian forest-plots. We suggest that the size and fragmentation of these systems drive their large-scale diversity patterns and hence local diversity. A model not using location but cumulative water deficit, tree density, and temperature seasonality explains 47% of the tree species-richness in the terra-firme forest in Amazonia. Over large areas across Amazonia, residuals of this relationship are small and poorly spatially structured, suggesting that much of the residual variation may be local. The Guyana Shield area has consistently negative residuals, showing that this area has lower tree species-richness than expected by our models. We provide extensive plot meta-data, including tree density, tree alpha-diversity and tree species-richness results and gridded maps at 0.1-degree resolution

LEVANTAMENTO PRELIMINAR E DISTRIBUIÇÃO DE BESOUROS AQUÁTICOS (COLEOPTERA) NA RESTINGA DE MARICÁ, MARICÁ, RJ

Quantitative and qualitative samples of water beetles were carried out in seven water bodies of differwnt sizes and physiognomies located at the Restinga de Maricá from January to September, 1996. A total of 65 species were collected belonging to the following families: Dytiscidae (32 spp.), Gyrinidae (1 sp.), Haliplidae (1 sp.), Hydrophilidae (22 spp.), Noteridae (8 sp.) and Scirtidae (1 sp.), Thermonectus circumscriptus, T. margineguttatus, T. succinctus, Laccophilus ovatus, Megadytes marginithorax (larva), Suphisellus sp.1 and Hydrocanthus sp. 2 were abundant and widely distributed. Larvae of M. marginithorax (in opposition to the adults) and imagines of Hydrocanthus sp.2 were the most representative in regard to the number of specimens. The factors that have most influenced the distribution of water beetles were the degree of acidity and water temperature. Some species presented association with macrophytes, like for instance: Tropisternus sp.3 with Salvinia auriculata OI' Nyniphea ampla, larvae of Celina with Eleocharis and larvae of Megadytes giganteus and M. marginithorax with Fiurena umbellata, Rhantus calidus, the species of Thermonectus and Tropisternus lateralis exhibited the highest degree of tolerance to low levels of pH.No período de janeiro a agosto de 1996 foram realizadas amostragens quantitativas e qualitativas de coleópteros aquáticos em sete corpos d'água de diferentes tamanhos e fisionomias na Restinga de Marica, Maricá, RJ. Coligiram-se 65 espécies nas seguintes famílias: Dytiscidae (32 spp.), Gyrinidae (1 sp.), Haliplidae (1 sp.), Hydrophilidae (22 spp.), Noteridae (8 sp.) e Scirtidae (1 sp.), Thermonectus circumscriptus, T. margineguttatus, T. succinctus, Laccophilus ovatus, Megadytes marginithorax (larva), Suphisellus sp.1 e Hydrocanthus sp. 2 encontram-se ampla e abundante­mente distribuídas. Larvas de M. marginithorax (contrariamente aos adultos) e adultos de Hydrocanthus sp. 2 foram os grupos mais representativos em número de indivíduos. Os fatores que mais influencia­ram a distribuição dos coleópteros aquáticos foram o grau de acidez e a temperatura da água. Algumas espécies apresentaram algum tipo de associação com macrófitas. como por exemplo: Tropisternus sp.3 com Salvinia auricullata ou Nvmphea ampla, larva de Celina com Eleocharis e larvas de Megadytes ginganteus e M. marginithorax com Fiurena umbellata. Rhantus calidus, as espécies de Thermonectus e Tropisternus lateralis apresentaram grande tolerância a águas mais ácidas

Spatial dependence and space-time trend in extreme events

The statistical theory of extremes is extended to independent multivariate observations that are non-stationary both over time and across space. The non-stationarity over time and space is controlled via the scedasis (tail scale) in the marginal distributions. Spatial dependence stems from multivariate extreme value theory. We establish asymptotic theory for both the weighted sequential tail empirical process and the weighted tail quantile process based on all observations, taken over time and space. The results yield two statistical tests for homoscedasticity in the tail, one in space and one in time. Further, we show that the common extreme value index can be estimated via a pseudo-maximum likelihood procedure based on pooling all (non-stationary and dependent) observations. Our leading example and application is rainfall in Northern Germany