Multi-Modal Selection Effects in the Study of Adult Development: A Perspective on Multivariate,Replicated, Single-Subject,Repeated Measures Designs

Some of the selection issues that bear upon the conduct of research using multivariate, replicated, single-subject repeated measures designs are examined and their implications for the study of developmental phenomena discussed. The choices of participants, variables, occasions of measurement, etc., made in the conduct of empirical research all involve some kind of selection. These choices, therefore, introduce selection effects into collected data which, in turn, threaten the generalizability of one's conclusions. Data analyzed for single subjects, for example, are suspect regarding generalizability to other individuals. While the limits of generalizability to persons is a concern to be taken seriously, the concern properly applies to all modes of data classification. Discussions of the importance of person selection emphasize representative sampling (of persons) and generalization to populations of persons. Attention to the selection of variables has led to a focus on multivariate approaches to measurement. For the developmentalist, the occasions mode, which is either implicitly or explicitly involved in definitions of change, is especially relevant to concerns about generalizability. Whether one considers stability or change, the effects of temporal selection ought to be a central concern in designing research.     

Longitudinal Intergenerational Birth Cohort Designs: A Systematic Review of Australian and New Zealand Studies

Background

The longitudinal birth cohort design has yielded a substantial contribution to knowledge of child health and development. The last full review in New Zealand and Australia in 2004 identified 13 studies. Since then, birth cohort designs continue to be an important tool in understanding how intrauterine, infant and childhood development affect long-term health and well-being. This updated review in a defined geographical area was conducted to better understand the factors associated with successful quality and productivity, and greater scientific and policy contribution and scope.

Methods

We adopted the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) approach, searching PubMed, Scopus, Cinahl, Medline, Science Direct and ProQuest between 1963 and 2013. Experts were consulted regarding further studies. Five inclusion criteria were used: (1) have longitudinally tracked a birth cohort, (2) have collected data on the child and at least one parent or caregiver (3) be based in Australia or New Zealand, (4) be empirical in design, and (5) have been published in English.

Results

10665 records were initially retrieved from which 23 birth cohort studies met the selection criteria. Together these studies recruited 91,196 participants, with 38,600 mothers, 14,206 fathers and 38,390 live births. Seventeen studies were located in Australia and six in New Zealand. Research questions initially focused on the perinatal period, but as studies matured, longer-term effects and outcomes were examined.

Conclusions

This review demonstrates the significant yield from this effort both in terms of scientific discovery and social policy impact. Further opportunities have been recognised with cross-study collaboration and pooling of data between established and newer studies and international studies to investigate global health determinants.     

Sequential Designs for Genetic Epidemiological Linkage or Association Studies A Review of the Literature

Objectives. The cost of a genetic linkage or association study is largely determined by the number of individuals to be recruited, phenotyped, and genotyped. The efficiency can be increased by using a sequential procedure that reduces time and cost on average. Two strategies for sequential designs in genetic epidemiological studies can be distinguished: One approach is to increase the sample size sequentially and to conduct multiple significance tests on accumulating data. If significance or futility can be assumed with a certain probability, the study is stopped. Otherwise, it is carried on to the next stage. The second approach is to conduct early linkage analyses on a coarse marker grid, and to increase marker density in later stages. Interim analyses are performed to select interesting genomic areas for follow up. The aim of this article is to give a review on sequential procedures in the context of genetic linkage and association studies. Methods. A systematic literature search was performed in the Medline and the Linkage Bibliography databases. Articles were defined as relevant if a sequential design was proposed or applied in genetic linkage or association studies. Results. The majority of proposed study designs is developed to meet the demands of specific studies and lacks a theoretical foundation. A second group of procedures is based on simulation results and principally restricted to the specific simulated situations. Finally, some theoretically founded procedures have been proposed that are discussed in detail. Conclusions. Although interesting and promising procedures have been suggested, they still lack realizations for practical purposes. In addition, further developments are required to adapt sequential strategies for optimal use in genetic epidemiological studies.     

Similarities and Differences of the Soleus and Gastrocnemius H-reflexes during Varied Body Postures, Foot Positions, and Muscle Function: Multifactor Designs for Repeated Measures

Background  

Although the soleus (Sol), medial gastrocnemius (MG), and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles differ in function, composition, and innervations, it is a common practice is to investigate them as single H-reflex recording. The purpose of this study was to compare H-reflex recordings between these three sections of the triceps surae muscle group of healthy participants while lying and standing during three different ankle positions.     

On the Analysis of Genome-Wide Association Studies in Family-Based Designs: A Universal,Robust Analysis Approach and an Application to Four Genome-Wide Association Studies

For genome-wide association studies in family-based designs, we propose a new, universally applicable approach. The new test statistic exploits all available information about the association, while, by virtue of its design, it maintains the same robustness against population admixture as traditional family-based approaches that are based exclusively on the within-family information. The approach is suitable for the analysis of almost any trait type, e.g. binary, continuous, time-to-onset, multivariate, etc., and combinations of those. We use simulation studies to verify all theoretically derived properties of the approach, estimate its power, and compare it with other standard approaches. We illustrate the practical implications of the new analysis method by an application to a lung-function phenotype, forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) in 4 genome-wide association studies.     

气候变化对鸟类影响：长期研究的意义

过去一个多世纪全球气候发生了明显变化,地球表面温度正在逐渐变暖。已有大量研究结果表明,鸟类已经在种群动态变化、生活史特性以及地理分布范围等方面对全球气候变化作出了相应的反应。根据全球范围内气候变化对鸟类影响的研究资料,尤其是北美和欧洲的一些长期研究项目的成果,综述了气候变化对鸟类分布范围、物候、繁殖和种群动态变化等方面的可能影响。这些长期研究项目为探讨气候变化在个体和种群的水平上如何长时间地影响鸟类提供了独特的机会,对未来中国鸟类学研究也会有所裨益。     

Joint Modelling of Repeated Measures and Survival Time Data

In many clinical trials both repeated measures data and event history data are simultaneously observed from the same subject. These two types of responses are usually correlated, because they are from the same subject. In this article, we propose a joint model for the combined analysis of repeated measures data and event history data in the framework of hierarchical generalized linear models. The correlation between repeated measures and event time is modelled by introducing a shared random effect. The model parameters are estimated using the hierarchical‐likelihood approach. The proposed model is illustrated using a real data set for the renal transplant patients.     

制干枣品种品质性状的因子分析与综合评价

综合评价制干枣主要栽培品种的品质,为制干枣品种选择和生产利用提供科学依据。应用SPSS统计分析软件,采用因子分析对13个制干枣品种的品质性状进行了比较和排序。结果表明：（1）在13个制干枣品种中,制干率和干枣含糖量差别较小,而单果质量、果实整齐度、果皮韧性和汁液差异相对较大;各品质因子间既相互独立又存在着不同程度的相关。（2）在9个品质性状指标中,单果质量、制干率、干枣口感、干枣含糖量和果皮韧性等5个指标起决定作用。（3）因子分析结果表明,制干品质综合性状优良的品种是相枣和板枣,临汾团枣、洪赵小枣和中阳木枣相对较差,其它品种居中,这一结果与感官评价的结果基本一致。本研究表明：应用因子分析可以较好地用于制干枣品种品质性状的综合评价。     

(In)Consistencies in Responses to Sodium Bicarbonate Supplementation: A Randomised,Repeated Measures,Counterbalanced and Double-Blind Study

Objectives

Intervention studies do not account for high within-individual variation potentially compromising the magnitude of an effect. Repeat administration of a treatment allows quantification of individual responses and determination of the consistency of responses. We determined the consistency of metabolic and exercise responses following repeated administration of sodium bicarbonate (SB).

Design and Methods

15 physically active males (age 25±4 y; body mass 76.0±7.3 kg; height 1.77±0.05 m) completed six cycling capacity tests at 110% of maximum power output (CCT_110%) following ingestion of either 0.3 g∙kg^-1BM of SB (4 trials) or placebo (PL, 2 trials). Blood pH, bicarbonate, base excess and lactate were determined at baseline, pre-exercise, post-exercise and 5-min post-exercise. Total work done (TWD) was recorded as the exercise outcome.

Results

SB supplementation increased blood pH, bicarbonate and base excess prior to every trial (all p ≤ 0.001); absolute changes in pH, bicarbonate and base excess from baseline to pre-exercise were similar in all SB trials (all p > 0.05). Blood lactate was elevated following exercise in all trials (p ≤ 0.001), and was higher in some, but not all, SB trials compared to PL. TWD was not significantly improved with SB vs. PL in any trial (SB1: +3.6%; SB2 +0.3%; SB3: +2.1%; SB4: +6.7%; all p > 0.05), although magnitude-based inferences suggested a 93% likely improvement in SB4. Individual analysis showed ten participants improved in at least one SB trial above the normal variation of the test although five improved in none.

Conclusions

The mechanism for improved exercise with SB was consistently in place prior to exercise, although this only resulted in a likely improvement in one trial. SB does not consistently improve high intensity cycling capacity, with results suggesting that caution should be taken when interpreting the results from single trials as to the efficacy of SB supplementation.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02474628     

A Multivariate Analysis of Variance of Categorical Data

Two methods of testing multivariate hypotheses in an IXJXK contingency table are presented. In one case, use is made of the trace of the matrix of sum of squares and sum of products while in the other, determinants of the matrices are used to construct test statistics. Asymptotic equivalence of the methods is shown.     

A Review of fMRI Simulation Studies

Simulation studies that validate statistical techniques for fMRI data are challenging due to the complexity of the data. Therefore, it is not surprising that no common data generating process is available (i.e. several models can be found to model BOLD activation and noise). Based on a literature search, a database of simulation studies was compiled. The information in this database was analysed and critically evaluated focusing on the parameters in the simulation design, the adopted model to generate fMRI data, and on how the simulation studies are reported. Our literature analysis demonstrates that many fMRI simulation studies do not report a thorough experimental design and almost consistently ignore crucial knowledge on how fMRI data are acquired. Advice is provided on how the quality of fMRI simulation studies can be improved.     

A Repeated Measures Experiment of Green Exercise to Improve Self-Esteem in UK School Children

Exercising in natural, green environments creates greater improvements in adult''s self-esteem than exercise undertaken in urban or indoor settings. No comparable data are available for children. The aim of this study was to determine whether so called ‘green exercise’ affected changes in self-esteem; enjoyment and perceived exertion in children differently to urban exercise. We assessed cardiorespiratory fitness (20 m shuttle-run) and self-reported physical activity (PAQ-A) in 11 and 12 year olds (n = 75). Each pupil completed two 1.5 mile timed runs, one in an urban and another in a rural environment. Trials were completed one week apart during scheduled physical education lessons allocated using a repeated measures design. Self-esteem was measured before and after each trial, ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) and enjoyment were assessed after completing each trial. We found a significant main effect (F (1,74), = 12.2, p<0.001), for the increase in self-esteem following exercise but there was no condition by exercise interaction (F (1,74), = 0.13, p = 0.72). There were no significant differences in perceived exertion or enjoyment between conditions. There was a negative correlation (r = −0.26, p = 0.04) between habitual physical activity and RPE during the control condition, which was not evident in the green exercise condition (r = −0.07, p = 0.55). Contrary to previous studies in adults, green exercise did not produce significantly greater increases in self-esteem than the urban exercise condition. Green exercise was enjoyed more equally by children with differing levels of habitual physical activity and has the potential to engage less active children in exercise.     

A Nonparametrical Evaluation of Anova and MANOVA Designs Using Interaction Structure Analysis

The interaction structure analysis (ISA) is proposed as a nonparametric procedure for the evaluation of uni- and multivariate analysis of variance models. Main effects and interactions of (independent) treatment variables are replaced by interaction-types where types are defined as those treatment-response combinations which occur significantly more often than expected under a null hypothesis (H_o) of no treatment effects. The application of ISA and the typological interpretation of ISA results are illustrated for an ANOVA design from toxicology and for a MANOVA design from psychopharmacology.     

鸦科鸟类认知研究回顾

动物认知能力高低及认知在动物中的进化是动物研究领域面对的难题之一。鸦科鸟类在工具使用、情景记忆、抑制控制等方面有着与类人猿媲美的优异表现。本文对过去三四十年间主要的鸦科鸟类认知研究进行了分类与汇总,并将上述认知研究划分为一般认知、物理认知、社会认知等三类。一般认知能力或者称为认知基础,是指具有普遍性的能力因素,是在解决不同问题时都能表现出来的相同的心理特质;物理认知指个体对自然规律的认知,主要包括客体永久性、数能力、工具的使用等;社会认知主要指个体对其他个体的心理状态、行为动机和意向作出推测与判断的过程。本文介绍了上述三类认知能力的主要研究范式,旨在为国内动物认知研究提供理论依据。目前的研究更多地集中于鸦属的鸟类,对于鸦科中其他鸟类或是雀形目中其他鸟类的认知研究尚不充足。此外,鸦科鸟类的社会性、分布范围、觅食策略等生态因素具有显著差异,在后续的研究中,我们应该关注生态因素对鸦科鸟类认知能力的影响,或是结合鸦科鸟类的生境及习性设计出更加合理的研究范式。     

A Critical Review of Home Range Studies

Abstract No consensus currently exists for the methods of estimation of home range size or for reporting home-range analysis results. Studies currently employ a variety of disparate methods or provide inadequate information for reproducing their analyses. We reviewed 161 home range studies published in 2004, 2005, and 2006 to assess what methods are currently employed and how results are reported. We found that home range reporting was generally inadequate for reproducing studies; that the methods employed varied considerably; that home range estimates were often reported and analyzed using inappropriate methods; and that many comparisons were made between studies that may produce spurious results. We urge for minimum editorial standards for reporting home range studies and we urge researchers to follow a unified methodology for estimating animal home ranges. We supply recommendations for such reporting and methodology. These recommendations will increase the reproducibility of studies and allow for more robust comparisons between studies.     

土壤酶学的研究进展

土壤酶在生态系统中是否作为一个组成成分,经典生态学没有明确的表述,但土壤酶在生态系统中具有重要的地位,它参与了包括土壤生物化学过程在内的自然界物质循环。介绍土壤酶的研究历史,土壤酶的检测技术、土壤酶的来源、土壤状况与土壤酶活性的关系、管理措施对土壤酶的影响等方面的研究进展,旨在推动土壤酶学的研究和利用。