Inverse Batschelet distributions for circular data

We provide four-parameter families of distributions on the circle which are unimodal and display the widest ranges of both skewness and peakedness yet available. Our approach is to transform the scale of a generating distribution, such as the von Mises, using various nontrivial extensions of an approach first used in Batschelet's (1981, Circular Statistics in Biology) book. The key is to employ inverses of Batschelet-type transformations in certain ways; these exhibit considerable advantages over direct Batschelet transformations. The skewness transformation is especially appealing as it has no effect on the normalizing constant. As well as a variety of interesting theoretical properties, when likelihood inference is explored these distributions display orthogonality between elements of a pairing of parameters into (location, skewness) and (concentration, peakedness). Further, the location parameter can sometimes be made approximately orthogonal to all the other parameters. Profile likelihoods come to the fore in practice. Two illustrative applications, one concerning the locomotion of a Drosophila fly larva, the other analyzing a large set of sudden infant death syndrome data, are investigated.     

The Correlated Bivariate Inverted Beta Distribution

The correlated bivariate inverted beta distribution is constructed from the bivariate mixture of two independent gamma random variables whose scale parameters follow Kibble's correlated gamma distribution. Explicit expressions have been derived for the form of the joint probability density function, the joint cumulative distributive function and other statistical properties of interest. These results confirm and extend some of the conjectures of HUTCHINSON in connection with generalizations of probabilistic models of severity distribution arising from injuries sustained in two-vehicle head on collison.     

Applications and Tabulations of the Multivariate t Distribution with ρ = 0

Quantiles of the multivariate t distribution with ρ = 0 are tabulated. Some applications are discussed.     

Shrinkage Pre-Test Estimator of the Intercept Parameter for a Regression Model with Multivariate Student-t Errors

In the presence of an uncertain prior information about the value of the slope parameter, the estimation of the intercept parameter of a simple regression model with a multivariate Student-t error distribution is investigated. The unrestricted, restricted and shrinkage preliminary test maximum likelihood estimators are defined. The expressions for the bias and the mean square error of the three estimators are provided and the relative efficiences are analyzed. A maximin criterion is established, and graphs are constructed for an arbitrary number of degrees of freedom (D.F.) as well as sample sizes. A criterion to select optimal significance level is also discussed.     

肺结核患者血清IFN-γ、Il-1β和TNF-α水平的临床检测价值分析

目的:研究肺结核患者血清γ干扰素(IFN-γ)、白介素-1β(Il-1β)以及肿瘤坏死因子-α(TNF-α)水平的临床检测价值。方法:选择2015年1月～2018年12月在北京市顺义区医院治疗的25例肺结核患者作为肺结核组,并且选择同期在该院进行体检的25例健康人作为对照组。采用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测并且比较肺结核组以及对照组研究对象的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β和TNF-α水平,比较痰菌阴性组(n=14例)以及痰菌阳性组(n=11例)、无空洞组(n=15例)以及有空洞组(n=10例)的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β、TNF-α水平。结果:肺结核组患者的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β、TNF-α水平均明显高于对照组(P0.05);痰菌阳性组肺结核患者的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β、TNF-α水平均明显高于痰菌阴性组患者(P0.05);有空洞组肺结核患者的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β、TNF-α水平均明显高于无空洞组患者(P0.05)。结论:肺结核患者的血清IFN-γ、Il-1β和TNF-α水平明显高于健康者,有助于判断疾病进程,这些细胞因子可能在结核病的发病中发挥着重要的作用。     

Resampling-based empirical Bayes multiple testing procedures for controlling generalized tail probability and expected value error rates: focus on the false discovery rate and simulation study

This article proposes resampling-based empirical Bayes multiple testing procedures for controlling a broad class of Type I error rates, defined as generalized tail probability (gTP) error rates, gTP (q,g) = Pr(g (V(n),S(n)) > q), and generalized expected value (gEV) error rates, gEV (g) = E [g (V(n),S(n))], for arbitrary functions g (V(n),S(n)) of the numbers of false positives V(n) and true positives S(n). Of particular interest are error rates based on the proportion g (V(n),S(n)) = V(n) /(V(n) + S(n)) of Type I errors among the rejected hypotheses, such as the false discovery rate (FDR), FDR = E [V(n) /(V(n) + S(n))]. The proposed procedures offer several advantages over existing methods. They provide Type I error control for general data generating distributions, with arbitrary dependence structures among variables. Gains in power are achieved by deriving rejection regions based on guessed sets of true null hypotheses and null test statistics randomly sampled from joint distributions that account for the dependence structure of the data. The Type I error and power properties of an FDR-controlling version of the resampling-based empirical Bayes approach are investigated and compared to those of widely-used FDR-controlling linear step-up procedures in a simulation study. The Type I error and power trade-off achieved by the empirical Bayes procedures under a variety of testing scenarios allows this approach to be competitive with or outperform the Storey and Tibshirani (2003) linear step-up procedure, as an alternative to the classical Benjamini and Hochberg (1995) procedure.     

The equilibrium unfolding intermediate observed at pH 4 and its relationship with the kinetic folding intermediates in green fluorescent protein

Folding mechanisms of a variant of green fluorescent protein (F99S/M153T/V163A) were investigated by a wide variety of spectroscopic techniques. Equilibrium measurements on acid-induced denaturation of the protein monitored by chromophore and tryptophan fluorescence and small-angle X-ray scattering revealed that this protein accumulates at least two equilibrium intermediates, a native-like intermediate and an unfolding intermediate, the latter of which exhibits the characteristics of the molten globule state under moderately denaturing conditions at pH 4. To elucidate the role of the equilibrium unfolding intermediate in folding, a series of kinetic refolding experiments with various combinations of initial and final pH values, including pH 7.5 (the native condition), pH 4.0 (the moderately denaturing condition where the unfolding intermediate is accumulated), and pH 2.0 (the acid-denaturing condition) were carried out by monitoring chromophore and tryptophan fluorescence. Kinetic on-pathway intermediates were accumulated during the folding on the refolding reaction from pH 2.0 to 7.5. However, the signal change corresponding to the conversion from the acid-denatured to the kinetic intermediate states was significantly reduced on the refolding reaction from pH 4.0 to pH 7.5, whereas only the signal change corresponding to the above conversion was observed on the refolding reaction from pH 2.0 to pH 4.0. These results indicate that the equilibrium unfolding intermediate is composed of an ensemble of the folding intermediate species accumulated during the folding reaction, and thus support a hierarchical model of protein folding.     

The utility of inflammation and platelet biomarkers in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Introduction

Thrombotic and inflammatory mechanisms are involved in the pathophysiology of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The aim of the study was the evaluation of inflammation (white blood cells count/WBC, C-reactive protein/CRP, interleukin-6/IL-6) and platelet (platelet count/PLT, mean platelet volume/MPV, large platelet/LPLT, beta-thromboglobulin/β-TG) biomarkers in the groups of ACS patients depending on the severity of signs and symptoms and compared to controls without coronary artery disease.