A Survey of Bayesian Statistical Approaches for Big Data

The modern era is characterised as an era of information or Big Data. This has motivated a huge literature on new methods for extracting information and insights from these data. A natural question is how these approaches differ from those that were available prior to the advent of Big Data. We present a review of published studies that present Bayesian statistical approaches specifically for Big Data and discuss the reported and perceived benefits of these approaches. We conclude by addressing the question of whether focusing only on improving computational algorithms and infrastructure will be enough to face the challenges of Big Data

Case Reports1. A Late Presentation of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Beware of TGFβ Receptor Mutations in Benign Joint Hypermobility

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and dissections are not uncommon causes of sudden death in young adults. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant, connective tissue disease characterized by aggressive arterial aneurysms, resulting from mutations in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor genes TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Mean age at death is 26.1 years, most often due to aortic dissection. We report an unusually late presentation of LDS, diagnosed following elective surgery in a female with a long history of joint hypermobility. Methods: A 51-year-old Caucasian lady complained of chest pain and headache following a dural leak from spinal anaesthesia for an elective ankle arthroscopy. CT scan and echocardiography demonstrated a dilated aortic root and significant aortic regurgitation. MRA demonstrated aortic tortuosity, an infrarenal aortic aneurysm and aneurysms in the left renal and right internal mammary arteries. She underwent aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement. She had a background of long-standing joint pains secondary to hypermobility, easy bruising, unusual fracture susceptibility and mild bronchiectasis. She had one healthy child age 32, after which she suffered a uterine prolapse. Examination revealed mild Marfanoid features. Uvula, skin and ophthalmological examination was normal. Results: Fibrillin-1 testing for Marfan syndrome (MFS) was negative. Detection of a c.1270G > C (p.Gly424Arg) TGFBR2 mutation confirmed the diagnosis of LDS. Losartan was started for vascular protection. Conclusions: LDS is a severe inherited vasculopathy that usually presents in childhood. It is characterized by aortic root dilatation and ascending aneurysms. There is a higher risk of aortic dissection compared with MFS. Clinical features overlap with MFS and Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type IV, but differentiating dysmorphogenic features include ocular hypertelorism, bifid uvula and cleft palate. Echocardiography and MRA or CT scanning from head to pelvis is recommended to establish the extent of vascular involvement. Management involves early surgical intervention, including early valve-sparing aortic root replacement, genetic counselling and close monitoring in pregnancy. Despite being caused by loss of function mutations in either TGFβ receptor, paradoxical activation of TGFβ signalling is seen, suggesting that TGFβ antagonism may confer disease modifying effects similar to those observed in MFS. TGFβ antagonism can be achieved with angiotensin antagonists, such as Losartan, which is able to delay aortic aneurysm development in preclinical models and in patients with MFS. Our case emphasizes the importance of timely recognition of vasculopathy syndromes in patients with hypermobility and the need for early surgical intervention. It also highlights their heterogeneity and the potential for late presentation. Disclosures: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Particulate matter exposure during pregnancy is associated with birth weight, but not gestational age, 1962-1992: a cohort study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Exposure to air pollutants is suggested to adversely affect fetal growth, but the evidence remains inconsistent in relation to specific outcomes and exposure windows.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using birth records from the two major maternity hospitals in Newcastle upon Tyne in northern England between 1961 and 1992, we constructed a database of all births to mothers resident within the city. Weekly black smoke exposure levels from routine data recorded at 20 air pollution monitoring stations were obtained and individual exposures were estimated via a two-stage modeling strategy, incorporating temporally and spatially varying covariates. Regression analyses, including 88,679 births, assessed potential associations between exposure to black smoke and birth weight, gestational age and birth weight standardized for gestational age and sex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Significant associations were seen between black smoke and both standardized and unstandardized birth weight, but not for gestational age when adjusted for potential confounders. Not all associations were linear. For an increase in whole pregnancy black smoke exposure, from the 1^st(7.4 μg/m³) to the 25^th(17.2 μg/m³), 50^th(33.8 μg/m³), 75^th(108.3 μg/m³), and 90^th(180.8 μg/m³) percentiles, the adjusted estimated decreases in birth weight were 33 g (SE 1.05), 62 g (1.63), 98 g (2.26) and 109 g (2.44) respectively. A significant interaction was observed between socio-economic deprivation and black smoke on both standardized and unstandardized birth weight with increasing effects of black smoke in reducing birth weight seen with increasing socio-economic disadvantage.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study progress the hypothesis that the association between black smoke and birth weight may be mediated through intrauterine growth restriction. The associations between black smoke and birth weight were of the same order of magnitude as those reported for passive smoking. These findings add to the growing evidence of the harmful effects of air pollution on birth outcomes.</p

Guidelines for the use of flow cytometry and cell sorting in immunological studies (third edition)

The third edition of Flow Cytometry Guidelines provides the key aspects to consider when performing flow cytometry experiments and includes comprehensive sections describing phenotypes and functional assays of all major human and murine immune cell subsets. Notably, the Guidelines contain helpful tables highlighting phenotypes and key differences between human and murine cells. Another useful feature of this edition is the flow cytometry analysis of clinical samples with examples of flow cytometry applications in the context of autoimmune diseases, cancers as well as acute and chronic infectious diseases. Furthermore, there are sections detailing tips, tricks and pitfalls to avoid. All sections are written and peer‐reviewed by leading flow cytometry experts and immunologists, making this edition an essential and state‐of‐the‐art handbook for basic and clinical researchers.DFG, 389687267, Kompartimentalisierung, Aufrechterhaltung und Reaktivierung humaner Gedächtnis-T-Lymphozyten aus Knochenmark und peripherem BlutDFG, 80750187, SFB 841: Leberentzündungen: Infektion, Immunregulation und KonsequenzenEC/H2020/800924/EU/International Cancer Research Fellowships - 2/iCARE-2DFG, 252623821, Die Rolle von follikulären T-Helferzellen in T-Helferzell-Differenzierung, Funktion und PlastizitätDFG, 390873048, EXC 2151: ImmunoSensation2 - the immune sensory syste

Nonlinear Dynamics of Electrostatically and Magnetically Actuated MEMS

140 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2006.The multi-physical nature of microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) makes the development of CAD tools for MEMS a challenging area. Besides, the non-linear coupling between the different physical domains in MEMS can give rise to interesting non-linear dynamic properties. These non-linear dynamic/chaotic properties of MEMS can be exploited for various applications like chaotic micro-fluidic mixers, secure communications, MEMS filters with shiftable resonant frequencies, etc. In this work, we have developed an efficient physical level simulation tool, namely, the full-Lagrangian Newton/Relaxation scheme, for the static and dynamic analysis of two popular classes of MEMS devices, namely, electrostatic and magnetostatic MEMS. This new scheme has several advantages of conventional MEMS simulation tools in terms of speed and convergence rates. The simulation tool is used to explore new nonlinear dynamic properties of electrostatic MEMS devices in this work. Complex nonlinear oscillations and the period doubling route to chaos are observed under superharmonic excitations. The presence of U-sequence in MEMS is reported for the first time. Under superharmonic excitation, the sequence is found to be a modified form of the U-sequence termed as "UM-sequence". The effect of these complex oscillations on thermoelastic damping (an inherent dissipation mechanism that limits the quality factor of these devices) in electrostatic MEMS is also studied.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD

Antioxidant effect of ethanolic extract of <i style="">Piper betle</i> Linn. (Paan) on erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia

241-246HbE-beta thalassemia is caused by an interaction between HbE and defective b globin gene of thalassemia. Repeated blood transfusions cause an iron overload, triggering an enhanced generation of free radicals. In the present study, the anti-oxidant property of ethanolic extract of the leaves of Piper betle Linn. (PB) was evaluated in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia. In patients with HbE-beta thalassemia (n = 30) and age- and sex-matched healthy individuals (n = 30), the baseline level of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and free radical scavenging activity in the erythrocytes was measured by flow cytometry using dihydrodichlorofluorescein diacetate (H2DCFDA), in terms of the geometric mean fluorescence channel (GMFC). The baseline generation of ROS was significantly higher in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia, as compared to healthy volunteers, the GMFC being 67.20 ± 4.64 vs. 23.03 ± 1.88 (p2O2 (0.5-1.0 mM) induced a higher increase in the GMFC in the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia, as compared to controls which was effectively reduced by PB. Taken together, PB showed promising anti-oxidant activity against the erythrocytes from patients with HbE-beta thalassemia