Online Local Differential Private Quantile Inference via Self-normalization

Based on binary inquiries, we developed an algorithm to estimate population quantiles under Local Differential Privacy (LDP). By self-normalizing, our algorithm provides asymptotically normal estimation with valid inference, resulting in tight confidence intervals without the need for nuisance parameters to be estimated. Our proposed method can be conducted fully online, leading to high computational efficiency and minimal storage requirements with $\mathcal{O}(1)$ space. We also proved an optimality result by an elegant application of one central limit theorem of Gaussian Differential Privacy (GDP) when targeting the frequently encountered median estimation problem. With mathematical proof and extensive numerical testing, we demonstrate the validity of our algorithm both theoretically and experimentally

Prevalence and associated factors of apathy in Chinese ALS patients

ObjectivveThis study aimed to explore the prevalence and clinical correlates of apathy in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a cohort of Chinese patients.MethodsA total of 1,013 ALS patients were enrolled in this study. Apathy was recorded during face-to-face interviews using Frontal Behavioral Inventory, and other patient characteristics, including depression, anxiety, and cognitive function, were collected using Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), and Chinese version of Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-revised. Health-related quality of life of ALS patients and their caregivers was also evaluated, and the potential factors associated with apathy were explored using forward binary regression analysis. Survival was analyzed using the Cox proportional hazards model.ResultsThe prevalence of apathy in all patients was 28.9%. Patients in the late disease stage had a higher prevalence of apathy than those in the early disease stage. Furthermore, patients with apathy had a lower ALS Functional Rating Scale revised (ALSFRS-R) score, higher HDRS score, HARS score and higher proportion of reported problems in the anxiety/depression. Additionally, their caregivers had higher score of depression and higher Zarit-Burden Interview scores. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that apathy in ALS was associated with the onset region (p = 0.027), ALSFRS-R score (p = 0.007), depression (p = 0.001) and anxiety (p < 0.001). Apathy had a significant negative effect on survival in ALS patients (p = 0.032).ConclusionApathy is relatively common (28.9%) in Chinese patients with ALS. Apathy is related to both the severity of the disease, and the presentation of non-motor symptoms in ALS, such as depression and anxiety disorders. Apathy is an independent prognostic factor for survival and requires early intervention and management

Cystatin C is associated with poor survival in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis patients

BackgroundCystatin C (CysC) levels in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been found changes, however, the associations between serum CysC levels and the progression and survival of ALS remain largely unknown.MethodsA total of 1,086 ALS patients and 1,026 sex-age matched healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled in this study. Serum CysC, other renal function, and metabolic parameters were measured. Correlation analysis and binary logistic regression were used to explore the factors related to serum CysC. Kaplan–Meier curve and Cox regression model were used for survival analysis.ResultsCysC levels were significantly higher in ALS patients compared to HCs (0.94 vs. 0.85 mg/L, p < 0.001). Compared with ALS patients with lower CysC levels, those with higher CysC levels had an older age of onset, significantly lower ALSFRS-R scores (40.1 vs. 41.3, p < 0.001), a faster disease progression rate (0.75 vs. 0.67, p = 0.011), and lower frontal lobe function scores (15.8 vs. 16.1, p = 0.020). In the correlation analysis, CysC levels were significantly negatively correlated with ALSFRS-R scores (r = −0.16, p < 0.001). Additionally, ALS patients with higher CysC levels had significantly shorter survival time (40.0 vs. 51.8, p < 0.001) compared to patients with lower CysC levels. Higher CysC levels were associated with a higher risk of death in Cox analysis (HR: 1.204, 95% CI: 1.012–1.433). However, when treatment was included in the model, the result was no longer significant.ConclusionCysC levels in ALS patients were higher compared to HCs. Higher CysC levels were associated with greater disease severity, faster progression rate and shorter survival, needing early intervention

Freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease with glucocerebrosidase mutations: prevalence, clinical correlates and effect on quality of life

ObjectivesMutations in glucocerebrosidase (GBA1) can change the clinical phenotype of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This study aimed to explore the clinical characteristics of freezing of gait (FOG) in PD patients with GBA1 mutations.MethodsA whole-exome sequencing analysis was used to identify the GBA1 mutations (pathogenic or likely pathogenic) and exclude other PD-related gene mutations. A forward binary logistic regression model was conducted to identify the associated factors of FOG. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis models were used to explore the effect of FOG on quality of life.ResultsThe prevalence of FOG in patients with GBA1 mutations (30/95, 31.6%) was significantly higher than those in patients without GBA1 mutations (152/760, 20%) (p = 0.009). A higher (i.e., worse) Unified PD Rating Scale part III score (OR = 1.126, 95%CI = 1.061–1.194, p < 0.001) and a lower (i.e., worse) Montreal Cognitive Assessment score (OR = 0.830, 95%CI = 0.713–0.967, p = 0.017) were significantly associated with FOG in PD patients with GBA1 mutations. The presence of FOG was significantly associated with the decreased (i.e., worse) score of PD Questionnaire 39 after adjustment for sex, age, disease duration, motor score, and non-motor score (B = 14.981, p = 0.001).ConclusionFOG is a relatively common disabling symptom in PD patients with GBA1 mutations, which is affected by motor disability and cognitive decline. Quality of life is reduced in patients with FOG and GBA1 mutations

Genome sequence of the tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans):Vector of African trypanosomiasis

Tsetse flies are the sole vectors of human African trypanosomiasis throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Both sexes of adult tsetse feed exclusively on blood and contribute to disease transmission. Notable differences between tsetse and other disease vectors include obligate microbial symbioses, viviparous reproduction, and lactation. Here, we describe the sequence and annotation of the 366-megabase Glossina morsitans morsitans genome. Analysis of the genome and the 12,308 predicted protein-encoding genes led to multiple discoveries, including chromosomal integrations of bacterial (Wolbachia) genome sequences, a family of lactation-specific proteins, reduced complement of host pathogen recognition proteins, and reduced olfaction/chemosensory associated genes. These genome data provide a foundation for research into trypanosomiasis prevention and yield important insights with broad implications for multiple aspects of tsetse biology.IS

Controllable all-optical modulation speed in hybrid silicon-germanium devices utilizing the electromagnetically induced transparency effect

Incorporating auxiliary all-optical modulation speeds as optional response modes into a single metamaterial is a promising research route towards advanced terahertz (THz) applications ranging from spectroscopy and sensing to communications. Particularly, a plethora of dynamically tunable optical functionalities are determined by the resonant light-matter interactions. Here, an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonator stacked with two traditional semiconductor films, namely silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge), is experimentally demonstrated. A giant switching feature of the EIT window with a peak at 0.65 THz occurs when the Si or Ge film is excited by ultrafast optical pulses, allowing for an optically tunable group delay of the THz wave packet. The recovery time for the slow and fast on-off-on switching cycles is 1.7 ns and 11 ps, respectively, which are mapped as the pump delay time of Si and Ge. Two optional response modes are integrated on the same device, where the modulation speed varies by three orders of magnitude, endowing the modulator more compact. This work provides new prospects for the design and construction of novel chip-scale THz devices based on EIT and their applications in areas of sophisticated optical buffering and active filtering

Conformal Self-Assembly of Nanospheres for Light-Enhanced Airtightness Monitoring and Room-Temperature Gas Sensing

The fabrication of conformal nanostructures on microarchitectures is of great significance for diverse applications. Here a facile and universal method was developed for conformal self-assembly of nanospheres on various substrates including convex bumps and concave holes. Hydrophobic microarchitectures could be transferred into superhydrophilic ones using plasma treatment due to the formation of numerous hydroxyl groups. Because of superhydrophilicity, the nanosphere suspension spread on the microarchitectures quickly and conformal self-assembly of nanospheres can be realized. Besides, the feature size of the conformal nanospheres on the substrates could be further regulated by plasma treatment. After transferring two-dimensional tungsten disulfide sheets onto the conformal nanospheres, the periodic nanosphere array was demonstrated to be able to enhance the light harvesting of WS2. Based on this, a light-enhanced room-temperature gas sensor with a fast recovery speed (<35 s) and low detecting limit (500 ppb) was achieved. Moreover, the WS2-covered nanospheres on the microarchitectures were very sensitive to the changes in air pressure due to the formation of suspended sheets on the convex bumps and concave holes. A sensitive photoelectronic pressure sensor that was capable of detecting the airtightness of vacuum devices was developed using the WS2-decorated hierarchical architectures. This work provides a simple method for the fabrication of conformal nanospheres on arbitrary substrates, which is promising for three-dimensional microfabrication of multifunctional hierarchical microarchitectures for diverse applications, such as biomimetic compound eyes, smart wetting surfaces and photonic crystals

DataSheet_1_Physical activity and risk of multiple sclerosis: A Mendelian randomization study.pdf

Multiple evidence from epidemiological studies has suggested association between physical activity and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the conclusion was still controversial between studies, and whether the association was causal or confounded is elusive. To evaluate the role of physical activity with different intensities in the risk of MS, we first estimated their genetic correlation, and then conducted two-sample and multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses based on summary statistics from previous large genome-wide association studies. A significant genetic correlation was identified between moderate physical activity and the risk of MS (genetic correlation: -0.15, SE=0.05, P=2.9E-03). Meanwhile, higher moderate physical activity was significantly associated with a reduced risk of MS (OR:0.87, 95% CI:0.80-0.96, P=3.45E-03). Such association was further verified using summary statistics from another study on overall physical activity (OR:0.36, 95% CI:0.17-0.76, P=6.82E-03). The results were robust under all sensitivity analyses. Current results suggested moderate physical activity could reduce the risk of MS. These findings help better understand the role of physical activity in MS, and provide some lifestyle recommendations for individuals susceptible to MS.</p

DataSheet_2_Physical activity and risk of multiple sclerosis: A Mendelian randomization study.pdf

Multiple evidence from epidemiological studies has suggested association between physical activity and risk of multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the conclusion was still controversial between studies, and whether the association was causal or confounded is elusive. To evaluate the role of physical activity with different intensities in the risk of MS, we first estimated their genetic correlation, and then conducted two-sample and multivariable Mendelian randomization analyses based on summary statistics from previous large genome-wide association studies. A significant genetic correlation was identified between moderate physical activity and the risk of MS (genetic correlation: -0.15, SE=0.05, P=2.9E-03). Meanwhile, higher moderate physical activity was significantly associated with a reduced risk of MS (OR:0.87, 95% CI:0.80-0.96, P=3.45E-03). Such association was further verified using summary statistics from another study on overall physical activity (OR:0.36, 95% CI:0.17-0.76, P=6.82E-03). The results were robust under all sensitivity analyses. Current results suggested moderate physical activity could reduce the risk of MS. These findings help better understand the role of physical activity in MS, and provide some lifestyle recommendations for individuals susceptible to MS.</p

Modified version of unified multiple system atrophy rating scale for remote video-based assessments

Abstract We modified the original Unified Multiple System Atrophy Rating Scale (UMSARS) for remote video-based visits by excluding ocular motor dysfunction, increased tone, and body sway, resulting in a 23-item UMSARS (mUMSARS-23). The mUMSARS-23 demonstrated excellent reliability and strong validity when compared to the original scale, making it a promising tool for conducting video-based virtual assessments in patients with multiple system atrophy