Longitudinal Studies in Britain Relevant to Osteoporosis in Later Life

本レビューは2つの主要部分よりなっている。最初には，英国において追跡的観察によって得られた骨粗鬆症と循環器系疾患の発症に関する事例研究が示されている。循環器疾患については，人生の後半における骨折や骨粗鬆症に関する縦断研究を行う際にためになる多くの経験が蓄積されている。これらから得られた成績は，人生の早い段階，特に出生時体重や乳幼児期の成長が人生の後半に発生する疾病に関係していることを示している。後半には，検討した各研究の要約が示されている。そこには，調査項目，対象集団，調査期間や調査手段など研究の方法等が記載されている。さらにこの部分には，（1）データ分析あるいは結果を解釈する際の縦断研究の特長に関する現象的なこと，（2）収集されたデータの特長，（3）縦断研究の集団代表性の損失や追跡を維持する際の問題点，についても言及されている。結論として，まず今回の人生後半の骨折や骨粗鬆症に関して縦断研究で何を追跡するのか，そしてどのような追跡方法が最も適切なのかを熟慮して決めることが重要となる

Effect of cultivation on the activity of some soil enzymes

Non-Peer Reviewe

Does cognitive ability influence responses to the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale?

It has been suggested that how individuals respond to self-report items relies on cognitive processing. We hypothesized that an individual's level of cognitive ability may influence these processes such that, if there is a hierarchy of items within a particular questionnaire, as demonstrated by Mokken scaling, the strength of that hierarchy will vary according to cognitive ability. Using data on 8,643 men and women from the National Child Development Survey (1958 birth cohort; Power, & Elliott, 2006), we investigated, using Mokken scaling, whether the 14 items that make up the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (Tennant et al., 2007)-completed when the participants were 50 years of age-form a hierarchy and whether that hierarchy varied according to cognitive ability at age 11 years. Among the sample as a whole, we found a moderately strong unidimensional hierarchy of items (Loevinger's coefficient [H] = 0.48). We split participants into 3 groups according to cognitive ability and analyzed the Mokken scaling properties of each group. Only the medium and high cognitive ability groups had acceptable (?0.3) invariant item ordering (assessed using the HT statistic). This pattern was also found when the 3 cognitive ability groups were assessed within men and women separately. Greater attention should be paid to the content validity of questionnaires to ensure they are applicable across the spectrum of mental ability

Cognitive Ability and Hemispheric Indecision - Two Surpluses and a Deficit

This paper re-examines a finding by Crow et al. (1998) showing that equal skill of right and left hands – hemispheric indecision - is associated with deficits in cognitive ability. This is consistent with the idea that failure to develop dominance of one hemisphere is associated with various pathologies such as learning difficulties. Using the same data, the British National Child Development Study, we find strong evidence of both surpluses and a deficit associated with this indecision. So no general association between indecision and cognitive ability can be drawn from this data.laterality, intelligence, ambidexterity, handedness, cerebral dominance

Cognitive ability and hemispheric indecision: two surpluses and a deficit

This paper re-examines a finding by Crow et al. (1998) showing that equal skill of right and left hands – hemispheric indecision - is associated with deficits in cognitive ability. This is consistent with the idea that failure to develop dominance of one hemisphere is associated with various pathologies such as learning difficulties. Using the same data, the British National Child Development Study, we find strong evidence of both surpluses and a deficit associated with this indecision. So no general association between indecision and cognitive ability can be drawn from this data.

Pre-school Educational Inequality? British Children in the 1970 Cohort

This paper considers mobility in and explanation of the position of children in the distribution of ability at different ages. Using the sub-samples of the BCS Cohort, it is found that 42 month ability rank provides a fairly stable guide to position in the distribution at age ten and that for girls, even the 22 month score is fairly stable. The paper then considers the question of the association of ability rank with the social background of children. It is found that children of women with degrees are substantially higher in the distribution than other children even at 22 months. By 42 months SES is also important, becoming still more important by age ten. A forecast equation for household income is developed. This is also found to be strongly associated with pre-school ability rank.

The timing and partnership context of becoming a parent

This paper uses two British birth cohorts, born in 1958 and 1970. There are substantial inter-cohort shifts in timing and context of becoming a parent and gender differences in timing. We use common childhood measures for the two cohorts, pool the two data sets and fit common models. We then ask whether explicit terms for gender or for cohort are required. These can be an unexplained gender or cohort differential or specific differential pathways through measured childhood antecedents. There is considerable support for elements of a common model, but some interpretable gender and cohort terms are also necessary.birth cohorts, childhood antecedents, gender, parenthood, partnership context