Performance of standard imputation methods for missing quality of life data as covariate in survival analysis based on simulations from the International Breast Cancer Study Group Trials VI and VII*

Abstract

Imputation methods for missing data on a time-dependent variable within time-dependent Cox models are investigated in a simulation study. Quality of life (QoL) assessments were removed from the complete simulated datasets, which have a positive relationship between QoL and disease-free survival (DFS) and delayed chemotherapy and DFS, by missing at random and missing not at random (MNAR) mechanisms. Standard imputation methods were applied before analysis. Method performance was influenced by missing data mechanism, with one exception for simple imputation. The greatest bias occurred under MNAR and large effect sizes. It is important to carefully investigate the missing data mechanism.     

The asymptotic distribution of a pivotal quantity for a capture-recapture model

A pivotal quantity for a capture-recapture model is introduced and used to construct an asymptotic confidence region for (ε,N), where ε is the capture efficiency and N is the population size. The true confidence levels of certain regions are obtained by simulation. Certain confidence regions for (ε,N) are drawn to show the size of the regions and to show how confidence limits for N depend on ε.     

On the use of the scholz-sievers method for dlstribution-free inference about the difference in slopes of two regression lines

A simple adaptation of a distribution-free method due to Scholz (1978) and Sievers (1978) for inference in a single regression setting is proposed for inference about the difference in slopes of two regression lines. We assume that the data are obtained from a designed experiment with common regression constants. A comparison of the proposed method to its competitors-one due to Hollander and the other due to Rao and Gore-indicates superiority of the new method.     

Sensitivity analysis for two control groups

In many experiments where data have been collected at two points in time (pre-treatment and post-treatment), investigators wish to determine if there is a difference between two treatment groups. In recent years it has been proposed that an appropriate statistical analysis to determine if treatment differences exist is to use the post-treatment values as the primary comparison variables and the pre-treatment values as covariates. When there are several outcome variables, we propose new tests based on residuals as alternatives to existing methods and investigate how the powers of the new and existing tests are affected by various choices of covariates. The limiting distribution of the test statistic of the new test based on residuals is given. Monte Carlo simulations are employed in the power comparisons.     

2012年中国民族法学研究述评

2012年中国民族法学研究成果颇丰。其中,论文约有320余篇,比2011年增加了100余篇。这些研究在内容上有以下特点：一是内容较为全面,其中,民族习惯法、民族司法的研究比往年增多,民族政治权利成为年度重要话题;二是内容上的交叉研究增多;三是出现了一些综述性、反思性研究成果;四是关注了一些热点事件和话题;五是应用性研究成果较多。这些研究在方法上有以下特点：一是研究视角的多元化,协商民主成为年度新话题;二是注重实证研究;三是注重比较研究。在全面梳理的基础上,笔者根据研究内容所涉及的民族法学基本理论、民族权利保护、民族区域自治、民族法制建设、民族习惯法、民族法制史、民族司法等方面分别对其主要成果进行了介绍与评价,在辨别良莠、展示精华的同时,为不断繁荣中国民族法学提供可借鉴的年度综合性史料。     

Double Sampling Ratio-product Estimator of a Finite Population Mean in Sample Surveys

It is well known that two-phase (or double) sampling is of significant use in practice when the population parameter(s) (say, population mean X¯) of the auxiliary variate x is not known. Keeping this in view, we have suggested a class of ratio-product estimators in two-phase sampling with its properties. The asymptotically optimum estimators (AOEs) in the class are identified in two different cases with their variances. Conditions for the proposed estimator to be more efficient than the two-phase sampling ratio, product and mean per unit estimator are investigated. Comparison with single phase sampling is also discussed. An empirical study is carried out to demonstrate the efficiency of the suggested estimator over conventional estimators.     

区域主导产业评价指标与数学模型

以现有研究成果为基础,建立了区域主导产业评价指标体系;基于灰色聚类的思想,提出了评价区域主导产业优度的数学模型-定权聚类评估模型,并对河南省武陟县工业主导产业选择进行了实证研究。     

Using quantile averages in matched observational studies

In two observational studies, one investigating the effects of minimum wage laws on employment and the other of the effects of exposures to lead, an estimated treatment effect's sensitivity to hidden bias is examined. The estimate uses the combined quantile averages that were introduced in 1981 by B. M. Brown as simple, efficient, robust estimates of location admitting both exact and approximate confidence intervals and significance tests. Closely related to Gastwirth's estimate and Tukey's trimean, the combined quantile average has asymptotic efficiency for normal data that is comparable with that of a 15% trimmed mean, and higher efficiency than the trimean, but it has resistance to extreme observations or breakdown comparable with that of the trimean and better than the 15% trimmed mean. Combined quantile averages provide consistent estimates of an additive treatment effect in a matched randomized experiment. Sensitivity analyses are discussed for combined quantile averages when used in a matched observational study in which treatments are not randomly assigned. In a sensitivity analysis in an observational study, subjects are assumed to differ with respect to an unobserved covariate that was not adequately controlled by the matching, so that treatments are assigned within pairs with probabilities that are unequal and unknown. The sensitivity analysis proposed here uses significance levels, point estimates and confidence intervals based on combined quantile averages and examines how these inferences change under a range of assumptions about biases due to an unobserved covariate. The procedures are applied in the studies of minimum wage laws and exposures to lead. The first example is also used to illustrate sensitivity analysis with an instrumental variable.     

The zero-inflated Poisson model and the decayed, missing and filled teeth index in dental epidemiology

For frequency counts, the situation of extra zeros often arises in biomedical applications. This is demonstrated with count data from a dental epidemiological study in Belo Horizonte (the Belo Horizonte caries prevention study) which evaluated various programmes for reducing caries. Extra zeros, however, violate the variance–mean relationship of the Poisson error structure. This extra-Poisson variation can easily be explained by a special mixture model, the zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) model. On the basis of the ZIP model, a graphical device is presented which not only summarizes the mixing distribution but also provides visual information about the overall mean. This device can be exploited to evaluate and compare various groups. Ways are discussed to include covariates and to develop an extension of the conventional Poisson regression. Finally, a method to evaluate intervention effects on the basis of the ZIP regression model is described and applied to the data of the Belo Horizonte caries prevention study.     

Non-parametric estimation of the long-range dependence exponent for Gaussian processes

We consider a class of long-range-dependent Gaussian processes defined in a semiparametric framework. We propose a new estimator of the long-range dependence parameter, based on the integration of the periodogram in two windows. We show that it is asymptotically Gaussian and calculate the rate of convergence. We optimise parameters defining the window function for the minimum mean-square-error criterion. In a Monte-Carlo study, we compare the proposed estimator with previously studied estimators.