Periodically correlated time series and the Variable Bandpass Periodic Block Bootstrap.

This research introduces a novel approach to resampling periodically correlated time series using bandpass filters for frequency separation called the Variable Bandpass Periodic Block Bootstrap and then examines the significant advantages of this new method. While bootstrapping allows estimation of a statistic's sampling distribution by resampling the original data with replacement, and block bootstrapping is a model-free resampling strategy for correlated time series data, both fail to preserve correlations in periodically correlated time series. Existing extensions of the block bootstrap help preserve the correlation structures of periodically correlated processes but suffer from flaws and inefficiencies.

Association between gestational phthalate exposure and newborn head circumference; impacts by race and sex.

Observational and experimental studies report associations between gestational phthalate exposure and fetal development, yet few data exist to characterize phthalate effects on head circumference (HC) or to estimate the impact of race or sex. To address this data gap, we enrolled 152 African American and 158 white mothers with uncomplicated singleton pregnancies from the Charleston, South Carolina (USA) metropolitan area in a prospective birth cohort. Study participants provided up to two urine specimens during mid and late gestation, completed a study questionnaire, and allowed access to hospital birth records.