Meta-Analysis Software: A Comparative Review

DSTAT, Version 1.10: Available from Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 10 Industrial Ave., Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262; phone: 800-926-6579

TRUE EPISTAT, Version 4.0: Available from Epistat Services, 2011 Cap Rock Circle, Richardson, TX 75080; phone: 214-680-1376; fax: 214-680-1303.

FAST*PRO, Version 1.0: Available from Academic Press, Inc., 955 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139; phone: 800-321-5068; fax: 800-336-7377.

Meta-analysts conduct studies in which the responses are analytic summary measurements, such as risk differences, effect sizes, p values, or z statistics, obtained from a series of independent studies. The motivation for conducting a meta-analysis is to integrate research findings over studies in order to summarize the evidence about treatment efficacy or risk factors. This article presents a comparative review of three meta-analytic software packages: DSTAT, TRUE EPISTAT, and FAST*PRO.     

Bias Correction in the Dynamic Panel Data Model with a Nonscalar Disturbance Covariance Matrix

Abstract

Approximation formulae are developed for the bias of ordinary and generalized Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) estimators in dynamic panel data models. Results from Kiviet [Kiviet, J. F. (1995), on bias, inconsistency, and efficiency of various estimators in dynamic panel data models, J. Econometrics68:53–78; Kiviet, J. F. (1999), Expectations of expansions for estimators in a dynamic panel data model: some results for weakly exogenous regressors, In: Hsiao, C., Lahiri, K., Lee, L‐F., Pesaran, M. H., eds., Analysis of Panels and Limited Dependent Variables, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 199–225] are extended to higher‐order dynamic panel data models with general covariance structure. The focus is on estimation of both short‐ and long‐run coefficients. The results show that proper modelling of the disturbance covariance structure is indispensable. The bias approximations are used to construct bias corrected estimators which are then applied to quarterly data from 14 European Union countries. Money demand functions for M1, M2 and M3 are estimated for the EU area as a whole for the period 1991: I–1995: IV. Significant spillovers between countries are found reflecting the dependence of domestic money demand on foreign developments. The empirical results show that in general plausible long‐run effects are obtained by the bias corrected estimators. Moreover, finite sample bias, although of moderate magnitude, is present underlining the importance of more refined estimation techniques. Also the efficiency gains by exploiting the heteroscedasticity and cross‐correlation patterns between countries are sometimes considerable.     

Abstracting and Indexing Adapts to the Internet Era

Abstract

With the role of libraries evolving from warehousing data sources to controlling the dissemination of information sources, A&I (abstracting and indexing) information services must also evolve and play an equally important and challenging role. With over forty years of A&I publishing experience, CSA (formerly Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) has adapted A&I publishing methods to new technologies and Web-based publishing. The editorial basics of producing A&I journals and databases are unchanged; however, new production technologies, such as electronic feeds between primary and secondary publishers, electronic directory services, and machine-aided indexing, can provide efficiencies. Once just roadmaps pointing to information, A&I services are now conduits delivering information directly to the user. Serials Review 2003; 29:221–223.     

Correspondence Analysis in Statistical Package Programs

BMDP, Version 7.0: Available from BMDP, Statistical Software, Inc., 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90025; phone: 310-207-8800; fax: 310-207-8844. $695.

NCSS, Version 5.3: Available from NCSS, Attn: Dr. Jerry Hintze, 329 N. 1000 East, Kaysville, UT 84037; phone: 801-546-0445; fax: 801-546-3907. $295.

SAS, Version 6.07: Available from SAS Institute, Inc., SASA Campus Drive, Cary, NC 27513; phone: 919-677-8200; fax: 919-677-8123. $2525 (first year); $1175 (renewal).

SPSS, Version 6.0: Available from SPSS Inc., 444 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; phone: 800-543-5831; fax: 800-841-0064. $1190.     

Reviews of Books and Teaching Materials

Understanding Basic Statistics. Charles H. Brase and Corrinne P. Brase. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. xviii + 576 pp. $48.50. ISBN: 0-669-39812-8. Reviewed by Elizabeth Low

Statistics for Management, 7th ed. Richard I. Levin and David S. Rubin. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. xvi + 1026 pp. $77.00. ISBN: 0-13-476-2924. Reviewed by Tom Obremski

Statistical Computing Environments for Social Research. Robert Stine and John Fox (eds.). Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1997. iv + 250 pp. $49.95 (P). ISBN: 0-7619-0270-8. Reviewed by Jonathan Nagler

Modern Engineering Statistics. Lawrence L. Lapin. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997. xv + 583 pp. $66.95. ISBN 0-534-50883-9. Reviewed by V.A. Samaranayake, Jagdish K. Patel

Elements of Engineering Probability and Statistic. Rodger E. Ziemer. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997. xiv + 322 pp. $77.00. ISBN: 0-024-31620-2. Reviewed by V.A. Samaranayake, Jagdish K. Patel

Applied Statistical Methods for Business, Economics, and the Social Sciences. William L. Carlson and Betty Thorne. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. xxiii + 1021 pp. $77.00. ISBN 0-13-570847-8. Reviewed by Marjorie E. Bond

Statistics for Managers: Using Microsoft Excel. D.M. Levine, M.L. Berenson, and D. Stephan. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Reviewed by Marjorie E. Bond

The Ultimate Resource 2. Julian L. Simon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. xlii + 734 pp. $35.00. ISBN: 0-69104-269-1. Reviewed by Thomas Wonnacott     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Matrices with Applications in Statistics (2nd Ed.). By F. A. Graybill. Belmont: Wadsworth
Clinical Trials: Issues and Approaches. Edited by Stanley H. Shapiro and Thomas A. Louis. New York and Basel
Introductory Statistics with Applications in General Insurance. By I. B. Hossack, J. H. Pollard & B. Zehnwirth. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Multivariate Analysis in Community Ecology. By Hugh G. Gauch, Jr. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Connectivity in Multi-factor Designs: A Combinatorial Approach. By Lothar Butz. Berlin: Heldermann     

Case studies in reliability and maintenance

edited by Wallace R. Blischke and D. N. Prabhakar Murthy, 2003, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA, 661 + xxvii pp., [ISBN: 0-471-41373-9]     

Approximate wavelet-based simulation of long memory processes

In this article, we investigate an algorithm for the fast O(N) and approximate simulation of long memory (LM) processes of length N using the discrete wavelet transform. The algorithm generates stationary processes and is based on the notion that we can improve standard wavelet-based simulation schemes by noting that the decorrelation property of wavelet transforms is not perfect for certain LM process. The method involves the simulation of circular autoregressive process of order one. We demonstrate some of the statistical properties of the processes generated, with some focus on four commonly used LM processes. We compare this simulation method with the white noise wavelet simulation scheme of Percival and Walden [Percival, D. and Walden, A., 2000, Wavelet Methods for Time Series Analysis (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press).].     

Book review

The Foundations of Econometric Analysis, edited by David F. Hendry and Mary S. Morgan. Pp. xvi+558. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. (£19.95 paper, £45.00 cloth).     

Book Review

Subjective and Objective Bayesian Statistics: Principles, Models, and Applications, by James Press, 2003, John Wiley &; Sons, Inc., Hoboken, NJ, USA, 558?+?xxx pp. [ISBN: 0-471-34843-0]     

Book review

Winters, L.A. and D. Sapsford (eds) Primary Commodity Prices: Economic Models and Policv. (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1990.) Pp. xviii + 310. $US54.50.     

Reviews and Notices

Abstract

English Labor Statistics: Statistical Tables and Report on Trade Unions. Third Report. (Report by the Labour Correspondent of the Board of Trade.) London, 1889. Pp. 262. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

English Labor Statistics: Report on the Strikes and Lockouts of 1888. By the Labour Correspondent to the Board of Trade. London, 1889. Pp. 104. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

English Labor Statistics: Returns of Expenditure by Workingmen. (Commercial Department Board of Trade.) London, 1889. Pp. 49. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

English Labor Statistics: Returns of Rates of Wages in the Principal Textile Trades of the United Kingdom with report thereon. (Robert Giffen, Board of Trade.) London, 1889. Pp. xxxviii, 152. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

French Statistical Album: Album de Statistique Graphique de 1888. Ministère des travaux publics. Paris. 1889. Pp. x. Plates 22.

Minor Notices: Atlas of Commercial Geography, illustrating the general facts of physical, political, economic, and statistical geography on which international commerce depends. By John George Bartholomew. With introductory notes, by Hugh Robert Mill. Cambridge University Press. 1889. Pp. viii. Maps 27.

Minor Notices: Fourth Annual Report of the Factory Inspectors of the State of New York. January, 1890. Albany. Pp. 329.

Minor Notices: Annali di Statistica. Saggio di Bibliografia Statistica Italiana. Terza Edizione Accresciuta. Ministero di Aguicoltura, Industria, e Commercio. Rome, 1890. Pp. xix, 213.

Minor Notices: Fifth Annual Report of the Board of Gas and Electric Light Commissioners of Massachusetts. January, 1890. Boston. Pp. 207.

Minor Notices: Second Report on the Custody and Condition of the Public Records of Parishes, Towns, and Counties. By Robert T. Swan, Commissioner. Boston, 1890. Pp. 45.

Minor Notices: Third (1889) Annual Report of the Board of Mediation and Arbitration of the State of New York. Albany, 1890. Pp. xii, 437.

Minor Notices: Special Report on the New York and Brooklyn Surface Railroad Strike. Pp. 188.     

Reviews and Notices

Abstract

Longstaff's Studies in Statistics: Studies in Statistics. Social, Political, and Medical. By George Blundell Longstaff, M.A., M.B., etc. London: Edward Stanford. 1891. 8vo. Pp. 455. Maps and diagrams. Reviewed by S. W. Abbott.

Keynes on Statistics: The Scope and Method of Political Economy. By John Neville Keynes, M.A., London. Macmillan and Company. 1891. Pp. xiv, 359. Reviewed by Davis R. Dewey.

United States Census Bulletins: 1No. 39. March 16, 1891. Wealth and Resources of Alaska. By Ivan Petroff. Pp. 15.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 40. March 17. Population by Counties, North Central Division. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 41. March 19. Agriculture, Truck Farming. By J. H. Hale. Pp. 12.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 42. March 20. Population by Counties, South Central and Western Divisions. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 43. March 21. Coal Product West of the Mississippi River. By John H. Jones. Pp. 8.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 44. March 25. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Mean Relative Humidity of the Atmosphere. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 45. March 26. Granite. By William C. Day. Pp. 41.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 46. March 27. Railway Statistics of the New England States. By Henry C. Adams. Pp. 18.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 47. March 28. Distribution of Population by Drainage Basins. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 5.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 48. April 7. The White and Colored Population of the South. 1890. Pp. 27.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 49. April 14. Precious and Ornamental Stones and Diamond Cutting. By George Frederick Kunz. Pp. 8.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 50. April 15. Population of Rhode Island by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 51. April 16. Population of Vermont by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 4.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 52. April 17. Urban Population in 1890. Cities Containing 8000 Inhabitants or more. Pp. 9.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 53. April 20. Statistics of Education. Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Missouri, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Washington, West Virginia, and forty-two Cities. By James H. Blodgett. Pp. 34.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 54. April 23. Public School Finances. By J. K. Upton. Pp. 12.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 55. April 24. The Relative Economy of Cable, Electric, and Animal Motive Power for Street Railways. By Charles H. Cooley. Pp. 17.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 56. April 25. Population of Maine by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 57. April 27. Population of Delaware by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 58. April 28. Population of Connecticut by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 3.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 59. April 29. Commercial Floriculture. By J. H. Hale. Pp. 11.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 60. April 30. Irrigation in New Mexico. By F. H. Newell. Pp. 14.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 61. May 8. The Production of Mica. By L. J. Childs. Pp. 6.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 62. May 9. Asylums for the Insane in the United States. By Dr. John S. Billings and W. H. Olcott. Pp. 32.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 63. May 11. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Latitude and Longitude. With diagrams. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 64. May 12. Foreign, National, State, and County Indebtedness. By J. K. Upton. Pp. 52.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 65. May 13. Distribution of Population in Accordance with Topographic Features. By Henry Gannett. Pp. 7.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 66. May 14. Floating Equipment on the Great Lakes. By Henry C. Adams. Pp. 11.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 68. May 16. Production of Manganese Ores. By Joseph D. Weeks. Pp. 5.

United States Census Bulletins: Mo. 69. May 18. Population of New Jersey by Minor Civil Divisions. Pp. 6.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 70. May 22. Statistics of Churches. By Henry K. Carroll. Pp. 27.

United States Census Bulletins: No. 71. May 23. Production of Bluestone. By William C. Day. Pp. 6.

Congress of Demography.

Old Age and Pauperism in England.

Mortality of English Clergymen.

Fire Statistics.     

Bias Correction in the Dynamic Panel Data Model with a Nonscalar Disturbance Covariance Matrix

Approximation formulae are developed for the bias of ordinary and generalized Least Squares Dummy Variable (LSDV) estimators in dynamic panel data models. Results from Kiviet [Kiviet, J. F. (1995), on bias, inconsistency, and efficiency of various estimators in dynamic panel data models, J. Econometrics68:53-78; Kiviet, J. F. (1999), Expectations of expansions for estimators in a dynamic panel data model: some results for weakly exogenous regressors, In: Hsiao, C., Lahiri, K., Lee, L-F., Pesaran, M. H., eds., Analysis of Panels and Limited Dependent Variables, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, pp. 199-225] are extended to higher-order dynamic panel data models with general covariance structure. The focus is on estimation of both short- and long-run coefficients. The results show that proper modelling of the disturbance covariance structure is indispensable. The bias approximations are used to construct bias corrected estimators which are then applied to quarterly data from 14 European Union countries. Money demand functions for M1, M2 and M3 are estimated for the EU area as a whole for the period 1991: I-1995: IV. Significant spillovers between countries are found reflecting the dependence of domestic money demand on foreign developments. The empirical results show that in general plausible long-run effects are obtained by the bias corrected estimators. Moreover, finite sample bias, although of moderate magnitude, is present underlining the importance of more refined estimation techniques. Also the efficiency gains by exploiting the heteroscedasticity and cross-correlation patterns between countries are sometimes considerable.     

Admissible Estimation for Linear Combination of Fixed and Random Effects in General Mixed Linear Models

The general mixed linear model can be denoted by y  =  X β +  Z u  +  e , where β is a vector of fixed effects, u is a vector of random effects, and e is a vector of random errors. In this article, the problem of admissibility of Q y and Q y  +  q for estimating linear functions, ? =  L ′β +  M ′ u , of the fixed and random effects is considered, and the necessary and sufficient conditions for Q y (resp. Q y  +  q ) to be admissible in the set of homogeneous (resp. potentially inhomogeneous) linear estimators with respect to the MSE and MSEM criteria are investigated. We provide a straightforward alternative proof to the method that was utilized by Wu (1988 Wu , Q. G. ( 1988 ). Several results on admissibility of a linear estimate of stochastic regression coefficients and parameters . Acta Mathemaica Applicatae Sinica 11 ( 1 ): 95 – 106 . (in Chinese)  [Google Scholar]), Baksalary and Markiewicz (1990 Baksalary , J. K. , Markiewicz , A. ( 1990 ). Admissible linear estimators of an arbitrary vector of parametric functions in the general Gauss–Markov model . J. Stat. Plann. Infer. 26 : 161 – 171 . [Google Scholar]), and Groß and Markiewicz (1999 Groß , J. , Markiewicz , A. ( 1999 ). On admissibility of linear estimators with respect to the mean square error matrix criterion under the general mixed linear model . Statistics 33 : 57 – 71 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]). In addition, we derive the corresponding results on the admissibility problem under the generalized MSE criterion.