A joint model for longitudinal data profiles and associated event risks with application to a depression study

Summary.  In many longitudinal studies, a subject's response profile is closely associated with his or her risk of experiencing a related event. Examples of such event risks include recurrence of disease, relapse, drop-out and non-compliance. When evaluating the effect of a treatment, it is sometimes of interest to consider the joint process consisting of both the response and the risk of an associated event. Motivated by a prevention of depression study among patients with malignant melanoma, we examine a joint model that incorporates the risk of discontinuation into the analysis of serial depression measures. We present a maximum likelihood estimator for the mean response and event risk vectors. We test hypotheses about functions of mean depression and withdrawal risk profiles from our joint model, predict depression from updated patient histories, characterize associations between components of the joint process and estimate the probability that a patient's depression and risk of withdrawal exceed specified levels. We illustrate the application of our joint model by using the depression data.     

高邮凹陷南断阶沉积成岩对储层产能控制评价

影响低渗透储层产能的因素众多而复杂,因此,正确分析和评价这些因素对于低渗透储层开发有重要的指导 意义。排除工程因素影响,从地质因素考虑,重点分析和评价沉积与成岩作用对产能的影响,并利用恒速压汞和核磁 共振特殊实验数据对其机理进行剖析。研究表明,高邮凹陷南断阶储层产能主要受后期成岩作用控制,局部小范围 内,成岩环境相同的受沉积作用控制,究其机理,南断阶储层主要受压实、胶结、溶蚀等成岩作用形成不同的微观孔隙 结构,导致南断阶储层产能显著的差异性。     

男权文化的失落——沈从文《丈夫》评析

在沈从文描写湘西农村的作品中,大部分都书写健康、自然的农村生活,讴歌美好的人性。在《丈夫》中,沈从文从现实主义角度展示了穷苦人民在贫困面前的悲惨生活,在经济压迫下,男性意识的削弱造成了男性的失语以及为了生存丈夫所遭受的金钱压抑和生理压抑,体现了作者的人道主义关怀。     

渤中凹陷油气运移优势通道及有利区预测

渤中凹陷油气分布规律不清，制约着勘探方向的选择，亟待开展与油气分布密切相关的优势通道的研究。根据级差优势、分隔优势、流压优势和流向优势4种优势通道的基本模式，采用单因素叠加和多信息叠合两种方法，对渤中凹陷油气运移优势通道进行了系统分析，确定出分别自凹陷中心向渤南低凸起、石臼坨凸起、沙垒田凸起和渤东低凸起北侧的4个优势通道方向。结合烃源岩展布及油气藏特征，总结出两种有利的油气运聚成藏模式，分别为沙河街组自生自储和优势通道输导-盖层完整的圈闭聚集成藏模式。综合分析认为，渤南低凸起、石臼坨凸起和沙垒田凸起多种优势通道共存，且储集砂体发育，圈闭类型多样，将是有利的勘探区带，区带内盖层完整的圈闭为有利的勘探目标。     

Horizontal synthetic estimation: a strategy for estimating small area health related characteristics

It would be difficult to overestimate the general importance of relevant, detailed and timely small area data for health planning and research. However, the requisites of relevance, detail and timeliness are difficult — in some cases impossible — to satisfy. In the following discussion we sketch an approach for providing small area data useful for health planners. At this time our major concern is a comprehensive approach to estimates for small areas. The particular models and estimation procedures which we will present are adopted primarily for their heuristic value. They provide a convenient and not overly complex means of discussing important aspects of a comprehensive approach to small area estimation. Our objective is to delineate in a constructive fashion the broad parameters of a comprehensive approach to the estimation of health related small area data.     

Social resources and Arab women’s perinatal mental health: A systematic review

Background

Women’s mental health in the perinatal period is understudied worldwide and in Arab countries especially.

Barriers to antenatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening in private hospital settings

Problem

The evidence of benefit for antenatal psychosocial assessment and depression screening has been sufficient to lead the implementation of screening in public hospitals in all states of Australia. Details of the implementation of perinatal screening in private obstetric settings is less well known.

A longitudinal study of perinatal depression among Chinese high-risk pregnant women

Background

Information is needed on the prevalence of depression in Chinese women with medically defined complications across the perinatal period, as well as key risk factors to develop appropriate perinatal mental health services and ensure the services target those most in need.

The scarring effect of unemployment on psychological well-being across Europe

Past unemployment may have a pervasive psychological impact that occurs across nations. We investigate the association between unemployment events across working life and subsequent psychological well-being across 14 European countries. Additionally, we consider the influence of between-country differences in labour market institutions and conditions on the cross-country well-being effects of unemployment. Data detailing life-long employment trajectories and contemporary life conditions are drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. The well-being impact of unemployment is modeled using linear, multi-level specifications. Each six-month spell of past unemployment is found to predict reduced quality of life and life satisfaction after the age of 50, having adjusted for a broad range of individual and country-specific covariates. In contrast, the impact of past unemployment on depression is explained by individual demographic factors. We identify the first comparative long-term evidence that unemployment welfare scarring may be a broad, international phenomenon.     

Subjective Well-Being as an Indicator for Clinical Depression

The Theory of Homeostasis posits that Subjective Well-being (SWB) is regulated by a dynamic biological mechanism, assisting to maintain a positive view of life. Further, the theory suggests that clinical depression is the loss of SWB due to the defeat of this homeostatic defence system. To test this hypothesis it was predicted that people who were diagnosed as clinically depressed with the Semi-structured Clinical Interview (SCID-1/NP) based on the DSM-IV-TR Axis 1 would have a Personal Well-being Index-Adult (PWI-A) score below the normative range (70–80% of scale maximum). Following ethical approval a sample of 146 men was obtained and each was assessed on the SCID-1/NP and on the PWI-A. Subjects diagnosed as having one of several pathologies such as post traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, social phobia and specific phobia were found to score significantly lower on the PWI-A compared to participants who received no diagnosis. However, as the data did not discriminate between currently depressed and persons with other non-depressive psychopathologies, a Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to explore this data further. Results indicated that the PWI-A was significantly better than guessing in discriminating clinically depressed cases, but only just so. Therefore, while this research found support for the proposition that the loss of SWB indicated clinical depression, the PWI-A is not sufficiently specific for diagnosis, nor can it be concluded that all instances of depression is the failure of SWB.