Developmental Patterns in Marital Satisfaction: Another Look at Covenant Marriage

This study investigated differences in the trajectory of marital satisfaction in the first 7 years between couples in covenant versus standard marriages. The authors analyzed data on 707 Louisiana marriages from the Marriage Matters Panel Survey of Newlywed Couples, 1998–2004, using multivariate longitudinal growth modeling. When the sample was restricted to couples who remained married over the duration of the study, a marginal benefit of covenant status was found for husbands. This effect was largely accounted for by covenant husbands' more extensive exposure to premarital counseling. The linear decline in marital satisfaction over time that obtained for both husbands and wives was not, however, any different for covenant marriages versus standard marriages. Couples characterized by more traditional attitudes toward gender roles were significantly less satisfied than others. High premarital risk factors, initial uncertainty about marrying the spouse, and the presence of preschool‐age children in the household were all corrosive of marital satisfaction at any given time.     

金融发展与区域经济增长研究——基于重庆市的实证分析

金融对经济的促进作用往往会受到其他因素的影响,而使得结果大打折扣，其主要原因是因为目前资金的流动受到很多制度和人为因素的影响，导致资源不能及时从低效率部门流入高效率部门。本研究从现有理论出发，通过收集重庆市1986—2010年有关经济增长和金融发展的数据，利用计量经济学软件，通过误差修正模型，得出二者之间的协整关系。在此基础之上，结合重庆现状分析回归结果并提出有关政策建议。     

Multivariate normal estimation: the case (n < p)

Estimation in the multivariate context when the number of observations available is less than the number of variables is a classical theoretical problem. In order to ensure estimability, one has to assume certain constraints on the parameters. A method for maximum likelihood estimation under constraints is proposed to solve this problem. Even in the extreme case where only a single multivariate observation is available, this may provide a feasible solution. It simultaneously provides a simple, straightforward methodology to allow for specific structures within and between covariance matrices of several populations. This methodology yields exact maximum likelihood estimates.     

对外开放度与经济增长的实证研究——基于河北省数据的协整分析

本文运用协整检验、误差修正模型和格兰杰检验对河北省对外开放程度与经济增长之间的关系进行了实证研究。结果表明,长期来看,河北省经济增长与对外开放度存在长期稳定的协整关系,短期内对外开放对河北省经济增长的影响较小。对外开放和实际GDP增长之间具有互相的因果关系,但对外开放对经济增长的影响大于经济增长对对外开放的影响。     

深圳特区产业结构变迁与经济增长

通过对深圳市1979—2009年的经济统计数据进行回归与图表分析，描述深圳市的产业结构状况及其形成过程，指出了深圳开Z30年来虽经济成就斐然，但产业结构相比20世纪90年代仍无实质改变。文章依据分析思路认为深圳尤应加速推进产业结构转换、升级，提升第三产业产值在GDP中的比重，形成更高效率经济增长方式并优化产业结构，从而实现经济体的现代化转型。     

论我国经济增长方式转变的精神文化特性

我国经济增长方式的转变,其实质是生产力内在构成要素的转换,其中精神文化因素逐渐成为生产力发展的主导性要素,经济发展从客体性经济转向主体性经济。其本质内涵可以从三个层面加以理解:从传统的物质生产方式向现代性的物质生产方式转换,具有现代经济的精神文化特性,主体的精神文化因素在经济发展中发挥着越来越重要的作用;本质上是一种从"直接劳动"向"科学劳动"的转变,具有鲜明的现代科学文化精神;发掘人的智能,以精神性的资源逐步替代物质性的资源,并以此为基础实现从工业经济向知识经济的转型。     

坚持稳中求进 确保经济平稳增长——2012上半年上海经济形势分析

2012年以来,世界经济复苏减缓,市场需求明显不足,全球产能过剩压力加剧,经济运行风险进一步加大,未来发展前景难以确定。我国经济下行压力也明显加大,未来经济增长面临产能过剩、财政收入下滑、就业压力增大、国际游资冲击等负面影响。上海结构调整取得新的进展,预计全年经济增幅合理上升,但在经济运行中需要特别关注就业形势、小微企业、房地产市场、消费市场、区县经济增长等方面因素。应继续按照"稳增长"与"调结构"相互促进的要求,制定和出台促进经济稳定增长的地方性政策措施,重点是做好中央和上海已有各项政策的落实工作。     

High-intensity interval training (HIIT) increases insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in sedentary aging men but not masters’ athletes: an observational study

Introduction: The aim of this investigation was to examine the impact high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in active compared with sedentary aging men.

Methods: 22 lifetime sedentary (SED; 62?±?2 years) and 17 masters’ athletes (LEX; 60?±?5 years) were recruited to the study. As HIIT requires preconditioning exercise in sedentary cohorts, the study required three assessment phases; enrollment (phase A), following preconditioning exercise (phase B), and post-HIIT (phase C). Serum IGF-I was determined by electrochemiluminescent immunoassay.

Results: IGF-I was higher in LEX compared to SED at baseline (p?=?0.007, Cohen’s d?=?0.91), and phase B (p?=?0.083, Cohen’s d?=?0.59), with only a small difference at C (p?=?0.291, Cohen’s d?=?0.35). SED experienced a small increase in IGF-I following preconditioning from 13.1?±?4.7 to 14.2?±?6.0?μg·dl^?1 (p?=?0.376, Cohen’s d?=?0.22), followed by a larger increase post-HIIT (16.9?±?4.4?μg·dl^?1), which was significantly elevated compared with baseline (p?=?0.002, Cohen’s d?=?0.85), and post-preconditioning (p?=?0.005, Cohen’s d?=?0.51). LEX experienced a trivial changes in IGF-I from A to B (18.2?±?6.4 to 17.2?±?3.7?μg·dl^?1 [p?=?0.538, Cohen’s d?=?0.19]), and a small change post-HIIT (18.4?±?4.1?μg·dl^?1 [p?=?0.283, Cohen’s d?=?0.31]). Small increases were observed in fat-free mass in both groups following HIIT (p?d?=?0.32–0.45).

Conclusions: In conclusion, HIIT with preconditioning exercise abrogates the age associated difference in IGF-I between SED and LEX, and induces small improvements in fat-free mass in both SED and LEX.     

Testing variance components in balanced linear growth curve models

It is well known that the testing of zero variance components is a non-standard problem since the null hypothesis is on the boundary of the parameter space. The usual asymptotic chi-square distribution of the likelihood ratio and score statistics under the null does not necessarily hold because of this null hypothesis. To circumvent this difficulty in balanced linear growth curve models, we introduce an appropriate test statistic and suggest a permutation procedure to approximate its finite-sample distribution. The proposed test alleviates the necessity of any distributional assumptions for the random effects and errors and can easily be applied for testing multiple variance components. Our simulation studies show that the proposed test has Type I error rate close to the nominal level. The power of the proposed test is also compared with the likelihood ratio test in the simulations. An application on data from an orthodontic study is presented and discussed.