A Bayesian analysis of clustered discrete and continuous outcomes

Many study designs yield a variety of outcomes from each subject clustered within an experimental unit. When these outcomes are of mixed data types, it is challenging to jointly model the effects of covariates on the responses using traditional methods. In this paper, we develop a Bayesian approach for a joint regression model of the different outcome variables and show that the fully conditional posterior distributions obtained under the model assumptions allow for estimation of posterior distributions using Gibbs sampling algorithm.     

Left-censored dementia incidences in estimating cohort effects

Lifetime Data Analysis - We estimate the dementia incidence hazard in Germany for the birth cohorts 1900 until 1954 from a simple sample of Germany’s largest health insurance company....     

Emotion regulation from infancy to toddlerhood: Individual and group trajectories of full-term and very-low-birthweight preterm infants

Adaptive emotion regulation begins with infants operating jointly with their parents to regulate their emotions, which fosters the development of independent regulation. Little is known about when or how this transition occurs, or the impact of factors such as parental availability or premature birth status. The current study examined the use of self-soothing, attentional distraction, and dyadic regulation in full-term and healthy very-low-birthweight (VLBW) preterm infant-mother dyads at 5 ½, 12, and 18 months of age. At 5 ½ months, dyads participated in the Still-Face procedure. At 12 and 18 months, dyads participated in two free-play interactions, a puzzle task, and an interference task. Emotion regulation behaviors were coded using two systematic, observational systems. Results indicated that infants used less self-soothing and attentional distraction and more dyadic regulation as they aged. Increased use of self-soothing at earlier ages predicted increased use of dyadic regulation at subsequent ages. Toddlers used more independent, attention-seeking, and escape behavior during periods of maternal unavailability. There were no significant differences between full-term and VLBW/preterm toddlers’ emotion regulation behaviors. Results from the current study contribute to the understanding of normative development of emotion regulation and the risk associated with prematurity.     

Total quality control: Lessons European executives can learn from Japanese companies

This paper reports the finding of a Mission to Japan by 18 executives to study the total quality control activities of 8 companies from diverse industries. A number of the companies can be classified as world class. In the companies studied the dedication, vision and planning for total quality control, development of policy and setting of improvement objectives at each level in the organisation structure, and attention to detail in the production preparation stage is without equal in the majority of Western organisations. It is also pointed out that the housekeeping of Japanese companies is first class and all the companies studied said their greatest assets are employees.     

Infants' Sensitivity to Manipulations of Maternal Touch During Face-to-Face Interactions*

Forty-eight mothers and their 5.5-month-olds participated in a series of face-to-face interactions consisting of a Normal plus three still-face (SF) periods where mothers could touch their infants (SF with touch). The primary objective was to determine whether young infants are sensitive to subtle changes in maternal touch. Variations in infants' affective and attentional responses were revealed as a function of the different periods; infants smiled more when mothers were requested to maximize their smiling using touch alone, and gaze shifted from mothers' faces in the Normal period to their hands in the SF with touch periods. Results imply that: (1) infants are sensitive to subtle changes in their mothers' touching, (2) mothers are effective in using touch to elicit specific infant responses, (3) touch-only interactions are positive, as reflected in infants' gaze and affective displays, (4) mothers use consistent types of touch when touching specific areas of their infants' bodies during brief interactions.     

Safety in numbers

The collection of data through censuses and surveys requires a high level of cooperation from the public. This, in turn, is influenced by public confidence that the data provided will be used for purposes consistent with National Statistics and anonymity and confidentiality will be protected. Angela Dale explains how access to data and confidentiality can be reconciled.     

‘Like a fish in a bowl’: parents' perceptions of child protection services

This research involved a small qualitative study focused on family experiences of child protection practice, commissioned as part of a Best Value review of child protection services in a large rural Midlands local authority. Qualitative interviews were undertaken with 18 families who had received child protection services. Findings were mixed in relation to perceived helpfulness of the processes of child protection interventions, with 50% of families reporting some positive bene?t and 22% reporting that such interventions had caused them harm. From the families' perspectives, factors that are associated with positive and negative outcomes are outlined. These include the availability of preventive services, crisis support, respite care, actual provision of services speci?ed in protection plans and an engaging style of practitioners. Conclusions emphasize the value of research focused on family perceptions of services as an important contribution to quality control and service development in child protection service provision. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.