Comments on estimators based on error in the predicted distribution function

In estimation of percentiles in the exponential distribution, the distribution function evaluated at the estimated percentile is often evaluated for purposes of warranty considerations. Optimal estimators are discussed and compared on their error in the predicted distribution function. Inconsistency is shown to exist between measures of closeness and measures of risk in the predicted distribution function. An optimal estimator based on absolute loss in the predicted distribution function is obtained and shown to be superior in measures of closeness to the optimal estimator, which minimizes squared error loss in the predicted distribution function.     

About the authors

This article examines the historical development of formally and informally segregated churches within the Diocese of Lafayette, Louisiana, the role segregated churches continue to have, and the attitudes of religious leaders within these churches towards the issue of racial integration. Data were obtained from surveys, interviews, and historical research. Interview and survey data used for this project were gleaned from Parish Council Presidents, Directors of Religious Education, the Diocesan Pastoral Council, and the Advisory Board for the Office of Black Catholic Ministries within the Diocese of Lafayette. One hundred fifty-five surveys were completed and returned. Thirty-four individuals were interviewed. In addition, the Diocese of Lafayette made their archives available to the researchers.     

Genital perceptions and sexual activity in a college population

Anecdotal evidence suggests that perceptions of the genitals—one's own and one's partner's—may be related to enjoyment of sexual activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among genital perceptions and performing and receiving oral sex, penile‐vaginal intercourse, and masturbation. Participants were 160 male and 160 female students at a large Midwestern university. Participants completed a questionnaire in which they indicated how well self‐statements describing genital perceptions and reasons for engaging in and not engaging in sexual activity applied to themselves. The results showed significant correlations between genital perceptions and sexual activity, such that higher levels of participation in and enjoyment of sexual activity, especially oral‐genital behavior, were associated with more positive and fewer negative genital perceptions. Men had more positive genital perceptions than did women for both their own and their sexual partner's genitals. These results are consistent with cultural sexual stereotypes and have implications for sex education and clinical work.     

An Indicator Framework for Linking Historic Preservation and Community Economic Development

This paper contributes to the immigration literature by generating two unique non-economic quality of life (QOL) indices and testing their role on recent migration patterns. Applying the generated QOL indices in conjunction with four independent welfare measures to an augmented gravity model of immigration, this paper finds an insignificant relationship between the six non-economic QOL measures and immigration flows for a panel of 16 OECD countries from 1991 to 2000. However, the results suggest that other factors such as the stock of immigrants from the source country already living in the OECD destination country, population size, relative incomes, and geographic factors all significantly drive the flow of immigration for the sample tested.     

Fixed-parameter tractability of anonymizing data by suppressing entries

A popular model for protecting privacy when person-specific data is released is k -anonymity. A dataset is k-anonymous if each record is identical to at least (k−1) other records in the dataset. The basic k-anonymization problem, which minimizes the number of dataset entries that must be suppressed to achieve k-anonymity, is NP-hard and hence not solvable both quickly and optimally in general. We apply parameterized complexity analysis to explore algorithmic options for restricted versions of this problem that occur in practice. We present the first fixed-parameter algorithms for this problem and identify key techniques that can be applied to this and other k-anonymization problems.     

The impact of therapist pregnancy on the treatment process

Therapist pregnancy is a powerful emotional stimulus and a real-life event that affects clients and the treatment process. In the present paper, previous literature is reviewed and clinical experiences of the author in a university counseling center are reported to address how therapist pregnancy influences clinical treatment. Although therapists often hesitate in emphasizing their pregnancy, evidence suggests that it is easy to underestimate the importance of the pregnancy for clients. Case examples are presented which demonstrate client responses and the significance of the pregnancy for four female clients. Gender differences in client reactions are not fully understood, and it may be particularly difficult to facilitate male clients in dealing with issues stimulated by the pregnancy. These clinical findings suggest that in a variety of settings, understanding and working with clients' reactions to the therapist's pregnancy can enhance treatment.     

Qualitative research in family therapy: publication trends from 1980 to 1999

In the early 1990s, scholars from a variety of disciplines encouraged greater inclusion of qualitative research methodology in the mental health field. Moon, Dillon, and Sprenkle (1990) hoped their paper “Family therapy and qualitative research” would serve as a stimulus for further development of qualitative research in the field of family therapy. Ten years later, entering the new millennium, has the field been influenced by recommendations for an increase in use of qualitative methodology in family therapy? A content analysis was conducted on articles published in the marriage and family therapy literature from 1980 to 1999. Of the numerous articles examined in four journals, 131 articles were published using qualitative research methodology. Findings support the contention that qualitative research is increasing, but still accounts for a small number of research articles published in marriage and family therapy journals.     

Motives for sharing illness experiences on Twitter: conversations of parents with children diagnosed with cancer

A patient- and family-centred approach in paediatric health care is important because parents are involved in making key decisions about their child’s health care and advocating for the best interest of the child. Parents and family members are increasingly turning to the internet to find and actively share information about their child’s health care. Twitter is one of many online platforms used by parents of children diagnosed with cancer to share information related to their child’s cancer experience. Existing research suggests that there is a need to better understand the motives for using Twitter for sharing content about a child’s cancer experience. Furthermore, there is a lack of theoretical frameworks for characterizing those motives. In this paper, we identify key themes of tweets posted by parents of children diagnosed with cancer and align those themes with motives inspired by the well-studied Everyday Life Information Seeking framework. We propose a new motive in addition to those associated with the framework and suggest that information can be shared for endogenous reasons as well as to meet the needs of others. This paper contributes an increased understanding of motives for sharing information about a child’s cancer journey and extends a theoretical framework for building further knowledge in this area.