Comparing alternative distributional assumptions in mixed models used for small area estimation of income parameter

Linear Mixed Models used in small area estimation usually rely on normality for the estimation of the variance components and the Mean Square Error of predictions. Nevertheless, normality is often inadequate when the target variable is income. For this reason, in this paper we consider Linear Mixed Models for the log-transformed income (which require back-transformation for prediction of means and totals on the variable’s original scale) and a Generalized Linear Mixed Model based on the Gamma distribution. Various prediction methods are compared by means of a simulation study based on the ECHP data. Standard predictors obtained from Linear Mixed Model for the untrasformed income are shown to be preferable to the considered alternatives, confirming their robustness with respect to the failure of the normality assumption

Mapping poverty at multiple geographical scales

Poverty mapping is a powerful tool to study the geography of poverty. The choice of the spatial resolution is central as poverty measures defined at a coarser level may mask their heterogeneity at finer levels. We introduce a small area multi-scale approach integrating survey and remote sensing data that leverages information at different spatial resolutions and accounts for hierarchical dependencies, preserving estimates coherence. We map poverty rates by proposing a Bayesian Beta-based model equipped with a new benchmarking algorithm that accounts for the double-bounded support. A simulation study shows the effectiveness of our proposal and an application on Bangladesh is discussed.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figure

A monograph on the genus Tetraserica from the Indochinese region (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Sericini)

In this monograph on the Indochinese species of Tetraserica Ahrens, 2004 all species distributed in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Myanmar, and mainland Malaysia are covered as well as those of the Indian province Mizoram. From this revision, the following new combinations result: Tetraserica gressitti (Frey, 1972), comb. n., T. laotica (Frey, 1972), comb. n., T. satura (Brenske, 1898), comb. n., T. sejugata (Brenske, 1898), comb. n., T. siantarensis (Moser, 1922), comb. n., T. spinicrus (Frey, 1972), comb. n., T. vietnamensis (Frey, 1969), comb. n., and T. wapiensis (Frey, 1972), comb. n. Two new synonyms were found: Tetraserica midoriae Kobayashi, 2017 (syn. n.) = T. laotica (Frey, 1972); T. graciliforceps Liu et al. 2014 (syn. n.) = T. satura (Brenske, 1898). The lectotypes of Tetraserica gestroi (Brenske, 1898), T. miniatula (Moser, 1915), and T. siantarensis (Moser, 1922) are designated. 116 Tetraserica species were recorded from Indochina, among which 88 new species are described: Tetraserica allochangshouensis sp. n., T. allomengeana sp. n., T. allosejugata sp. n., T. angkorthomensis sp. n., T. angkorwatensis sp. n., T. appendiculata sp. n., T. auriculata sp. n., T. bachmaensis sp. n., T. banhuaipoensis sp. n., T. bansanpakiana sp. n., T. bolavensensis sp. n., T. breviforceps sp. n., T. cattienensis sp. n., T. champassakana sp. n., T. constanti sp. n., T. cucphongensis sp. n., T. curviforceps sp. n., T. desalvazzai sp. n., T. doiphukhaensis sp. n., T. doipuiensis sp. n., T. doisuthepensis sp. n., T. dongnaiensis sp. n., T. falciforceps sp. n., T. falciformis sp. n., T. feresiantarensis sp. n., T. filiforceps sp. n., T. fulleri sp. n., T. phukradungensis sp. n., T. geiserae sp. n., T. giulianae sp. n., T. infida sp. n., T. jakli sp. n., T. khaosoidaoensis sp. n., T. kiriromensis sp. n., T. koi sp. n., T. kollae sp. n., T. konchurangensis sp. n., T. kontumensis sp. n., T. loeiensis sp. n., T. lucai sp. n., T. microfurcata sp. n., T. microspinosa sp. n., T. multiangulata sp. n., T. nahaeoensis sp. n., T. nakaiensis sp. n., T. namnaoensis sp. n., T. neouncinata sp. n., T. nonglomensis sp. n., T. nussi sp. n., T. olegi sp. n., T. pahinngamensis sp. n., T. pailinensis sp. n., T. parasetuliforceps sp. n., T. paratonkinensis sp. n., T. petrpacholatkoi sp. n., T. phatoensis sp. n., T. phoupaneensis sp. n., T. pluriuncinata sp. n., T. pseudoliangheensis sp. n., T. pseudoruiliensis sp. n., T. pseudouncinata sp. n., T. quadriforceps sp. n., T. quadrifurcata sp. n., T. rihai sp. n., T. romae sp. n., T. rubrithorax sp. n., T. sapana sp. n., T. semidamadiensis sp. n., T. semipingjiangensis sp. n., T. semiruiliensis sp. n., T. semishanensis sp. n., T. setuliforceps sp. n., T. shanensis sp. n., T. smetsi sp. n., T. margheritae sp. n., T. soppongana sp. n., T. spanglerorum sp. n., T. spinotibialis sp. n., T. subrotundata sp. n., T. tanahrataensis sp. n., T. thainguyensis sp. n., T. trilobiforceps sp. n., T. ululalatensis sp. n., T. umphangensis sp. n., T. vari sp. n., T. veliformis sp. n., T. vientianeensis sp. n., and T. xiengkhouangensis sp. n. A key to the Indochinese Tetraserica species is given and distributions as well as the habitus and male genitalia of all species are illustrated

Extended beta models for poverty mapping. An application integrating survey and remote sensing data in Bangladesh

The paper targets the estimation of the poverty rate at the Upazila level in Bangladesh through the use of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data. Upazilas are administrative regions equivalent to counties or boroughs whose sample sizes are not large enough to provide reliable estimates or are even absent. We tackle this issue by proposing a small area estimation model complementing survey data with remote sensing information at the area level. We specify an Extended Beta mixed regression model within the Bayesian framework, allowing it to accommodate the peculiarities of sample data and to predict out-of-sample rates. In particular, it enables to include estimates equal to either 0 or 1 and to model the strong intra-cluster correlation. We aim at proposing a method that can be implemented by statistical offices as a routine. In this spirit, we consider a regularizing prior for coefficients rather than a model selection approach, to deal with a large number of auxiliary variables. We compare our methods with existing alternatives using a design-based simulation exercise and illustrate its potential with the motivating application

Telomerase Mediates Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-dependent Responsiveness in a Rat Model of Hind Limb Ischemia *

Telomere dysfunction contributes to reduced cell viability, altered differentiation, and impaired regenerative/proliferative responses. Recent advances indicate that telomerase activity confers a pro-angiogenic phenotype to endothelial cells and their precursors. We have investigated whether telomerase contributes to tissue regeneration following hind limb ischemia and vascular endothelial growth factor 165 (VEGF(165)) treatment. VEGF delivery induced angiogenesis and increased expression of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) and telomerase activity in skeletal muscles and satellite and endothelial cells. Adenovirus-mediated transfer of wild type TERT but not of a dominant negative mutant, TERTdn, significantly induced capillary but not arteriole formation. However, when co-delivered with VEGF, TERTdn abrogated VEGF-dependent angiogenesis, arteriogenesis, and blood flow increase. This effect was paralleled by in vitro evidence that telomerase inhibition by 3'-azido-3'-deoxythymidine in VEGF-treated endothelial cells strongly reduced capillary density and promoted apoptosis in the absence of serum. Similar results were obtained with adenovirus-mediated expression of TERTdn and AKTdn, both reducing endogenous TERT activity and angiogenesis on Matrigel. Mechanistically, neo-angiogenesis in our system involved: (i) VEGF-dependent activation of telomerase through the nitric oxide pathway and (ii) telomerase-dependent activation of endothelial cell differentiation and protection from apoptosis. Furthermore, detection of TERT in activated satellite cells identified them as VEGF targets during muscle regeneration. Because TERT behaves as an angiogenic factor and a downstream effector of VEGF signaling, telomerase activity appears required for VEGF-dependent remodeling of ischemic tissue at the capillaries and arterioles level

Rare mutations in SQSTM1 modify susceptibility to frontotemporal lobar degeneration

Mutations in the gene coding for Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) have been genetically associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Paget disease of bone. In the present study, we analyzed the SQSTM1 coding sequence for mutations in an extended cohort of 1,808 patients with frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), ascertained within the European Early-Onset Dementia consortium. As control dataset, we sequenced 1,625 European control individuals and analyzed whole-exome sequence data of 2,274 German individuals (total n = 3,899). Association of rare SQSTM1 mutations was calculated in a meta-analysis of 4,332 FTLD and 10,240 control alleles. We identified 25 coding variants in FTLD patients of which 10 have not been described. Fifteen mutations were absent in the control individuals (carrier frequency < 0.00026) whilst the others were rare in both patients and control individuals. When pooling all variants with a minor allele frequency < 0.01, an overall frequency of 3.2 % was calculated in patients. Rare variant association analysis between patients and controls showed no difference over the whole protein, but suggested that rare mutations clustering in the UBA domain of SQSTM1 may influence disease susceptibility by doubling the risk for FTLD (RR = 2.18 [95 % CI 1.24-3.85]; corrected p value = 0.042). Detailed histopathology demonstrated that mutations in SQSTM1 associate with widespread neuronal and glial phospho-TDP-43 pathology. With this study, we provide further evidence for a putative role of rare mutations in SQSTM1 in the genetic etiology of FTLD and showed that, comparable to other FTLD/ALS genes, SQSTM1 mutations are associated with TDP-43 pathology

Psychosocial burden and professional and social support in patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) and their relatives in Italy

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), alias ATTR variant (ATTRv) is a severe and disabling disease causing sensory and motor neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, and cardiomyopathy. The progressive decline of patient's functional autonomy negatively affects the patient's quality of life and requires increasing involvement of relatives in the patient's daily life. Family caregiving may become particularly demanding when the patient is no longer able to move independently. This study is focused on the psychosocial aspects of ATTRv from the patient and relative perspectives. In particular, it explored: the practical and psychological burdens experienced by symptomatic patients with ATTRv and their key relatives and the professional and social network support they may rely on; whether burden varied in relation to patients' and relatives' socio-demographic variables, patients' clinical variables, and perceived professional and social network support; and, any difference in burden and support between patients and their matched relatives

Antidiabetic Drug Prescription Pattern in Hospitalized Older Patients with Diabetes

Objective: To describe the prescription pattern of antidiabetic and cardiovascular drugs in a cohort of hospitalized older patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes aged 65 years or older hospitalized in internal medicine and/or geriatric wards throughout Italy and enrolled in the REPOSI (REgistro POliterapuie SIMI—Società Italiana di Medicina Interna) registry from 2010 to 2019 and discharged alive were included. Results: Among 1703 patients with diabetes, 1433 (84.2%) were on treatment with at least one antidiabetic drug at hospital admission, mainly prescribed as monotherapy with insulin (28.3%) or metformin (19.2%). The proportion of treated patients decreased at discharge (N = 1309, 76.9%), with a significant reduction over time. Among those prescribed, the proportion of those with insulin alone increased over time (p = 0.0066), while the proportion of those prescribed sulfonylureas decreased (p &lt; 0.0001). Among patients receiving antidiabetic therapy at discharge, 1063 (81.2%) were also prescribed cardiovascular drugs, mainly with an antihypertensive drug alone or in combination (N = 777, 73.1%). Conclusion: The management of older patients with diabetes in a hospital setting is often sub-optimal, as shown by the increasing trend in insulin at discharge, even if an overall improvement has been highlighted by the prevalent decrease in sulfonylureas prescription