Quadratic programming applications

Although quadratic programming (QP) is often studied as a methodology by decision scientists, little emphasis seems to be given to the type of decision science problems that can be so modeled. This paper reviews and extends some of the applied and methodological areas where QP is applicable, discussing and illustrating the characteristics and aspects of the accompanying solutions. Some of the methodological areas amenable include regression analysis, decision analysis, and quadratic approximations to generally complex functions. In the functional management areas, QP is applicable to problems in economics, such as demand-supply response and enterprise selection. In finance, it is used in portfolio analysis; in agriculture, in crop selection. Both the methodological and functional applications of QP are reviewed. Potential new applications of QP are suggested.     

We thought it was a secret! An approach to the management of emotional disorder in children with parents in marital conflict

The relationship of marital conflict with emotional disorder in children is well known. The disturbed behaviour at these children is a reaction to, and at times may be the only manifestation of, the parent's conflict. The author has developed an interview technique, based on drawing a dream, which enables children to effectively communicate their understanding of the stressful events in their lives that contribute to their emotional disorder. These drawings and the child's perceptions of their parents' conflict are then discussed with the parents. This often sharply focuses the problem for the parents and may facilitate a resolution of the marital conflict, thereby allowing a more appropriate realignment of family relationships, with a consequent improvement of the child's emotional disorder.     

Who Were The “Laurentian Iroquois”?

On a exprimé des opinions diverses sur l'identité des Indiens que Cartier a observés le long du Saint-Laurent pendant la première moitié du XVIe siécle. II est certain que cétait des Iroquois, mais les opinions diffèrent quant à leur lien avec des groupes iroquois connus subséquemment. Le matériel archéologique découvert établit un lien étroit entre les Hochelagas (groupe de Montréal) et le groupe historique Onontagué Onneiout; une approche linguistique suggère, par ailleurs, que les Stadaconés (groupe de Québec) formaient un groupe distinct parmi les Iroquois connus au XVIIe siècle. Des recherches supplémentaires sont requises afin de voir si les données archéologiques s'appliquent aussi aux Stadaconés et, d'autre part, les données linguistiques, aux Hochelagas.     

Migration in Namibia: Combining Macro and Micro Approaches to Research Design and Analysis1

In adopting a framework that applies both macro and micro variables to the study of migration in Namibia, the analysis of the findings of the Namibia Migration Project emphasizes the utility of combining different scales and methods of data collection in terms of explaining migration dynamics and extending trends and patterns to future scenarios. It is argued that the contextual and explanatory macro factors such as political history, poverty, population, environment, epidemics and culture are crucial to the understanding and interpretation of the micro data collected through the standardized questionnaire survey and the case study material. Equally important is the iterative relationship that the macro/micro approach fosters in the research design and in the analysis of the data between the macro and micro scales of investigation.     

The use of an identity in Anderson for multivariate multiple testing

Consider the model where there are I$I$ independent multivariate normal treatment populations with p×1$p\times 1$ mean vectors _μi${\mathit{\mu }}_i$, i=1,…,I$i=1,\dots ,I$, and covariance matrix Σ$\Sigma$. Independently the (I+1)$(I+1)$st population corresponds to a control and it too is multivariate normal with mean vector _μI+1${\mathit{\mu }}_{I+1}$ and covariance matrix Σ$\Sigma$. Now consider the following two multiple testing problems.     

Narrative skills predict peer adjustment across elementary school years

The importance of peer adjustment in middle childhood coincides with developing social cognitive and discursive skills that include the ability to make personal narrative accounts. Authoring personal stories promotes attention to the sequence of events, the causal connections between events, the moral significance of what has happened, and the motives that drive human action: these skills may be critical for the establishment and maintenance of satisfying peer relationships during elementary school. This study extended previous research by considering whether narrative skills in written stories about peer interactions predicted peer adjustment. As part of an ongoing longitudinal study, 92 children wrote narratives about peer experiences and completed surveys on measures of peer adjustment for two school years. Cross‐lagged panel models indicated that chronological and thematic coherence and reports of moral concerns in narratives in the first year of the study contributed to lower peer disliking in the subsequent academic year. Reports of motives in Year 1 narratives contributed to lower levels of loneliness and peer victimization in Year 2. Writing personal narratives that are coherent and attentive to moral concerns and motives may be especially beneficial for children who have difficulty connecting with peers. We discuss implications for classroom practices.     

Cyber Aggression: The Relation between Online Offenders and Offline Social Competence

Children are increasingly using computer technologies to engage in acts of aggression against peers, often termed ‘cyber aggression’. Media reports have sensationalized instances of cyber aggression, and social scientists have begun to examine its characteristics and consequences. Using a younger sample of children than most previous research (192 third‐ through sixth‐grade children), the present research evaluated grade and gender effects on cyber aggression and, most importantly, evaluated the classroom peer social consequences of engaging in cyber aggression, after controlling for traditional, face‐to‐face aggression. Children reported engaging in cyber aggression at comparable rates across grades and between males and females. Engaging in cyber aggression was related to higher rates of loneliness and lower rates of global self‐worth, peer optimism, number of mutual friendships, social acceptability, and popularity. In short, after controlling for effects attributable to traditional aggression, cyber aggression was related to significant negative peer relations outcomes.