Bequest division and population growth: A lineal extinction probability approach

This study uses a lineal-extinction-probability-minimization approach proposed by Chu (1991) to study the relation between bequest division and population growth. Using a Markov branching process and “first-degree stochastic dominance” technique, our model's results imply that any specific bequest division, primogeniture or equal divisions, does not necessarily increase or reduce the population growth by itself. Whether the population does grow, or by how much, will be determined by the concurrent social-economic conditions. We find that if all family heads faced an increasing MRTS technology and/or a relatively unfair market chance, then they would tend to choose an unequal division as their optimal bequest policy, and population growth would increase. However, if an equal division was adopted involuntarily by family heads or was enforced by laws, then the population growth might decline. Received: 26 November 1999/Accepted: 26 October 2000     

Can spouses be trusted? A look at husband/wife proxy reports

This paper examines biases that may occur when models of couple behavior are estimated using one partner’s report of own and of spouse’s desired family size rather than independent reports obtained from both partners. When estimates of random measurement error are incorporated in a model of couple fertility expectations, proxy reports are valid indicators of spouse desires. In particular, there is little evidence that proxy reports are affected by systematic errors arising from projection of own beliefs onto the spouse. For desired family size, random measurement error in both proxy and self reports is of far greater concern than is systematic error.     

Construction of more Flexible and Efficient P–rep Designs

Early generation variety trials are very important in plant and tree breeding programs. Typically many entries are tested, often with very few resources available. Unreplicated trials using control plots are popular and it is common to repeat the trials at a number of locations. An alternative is to use partially replicated (p–rep) designs, where a proportion of the test entries are replicated at each location. We extend a method for the generation of p–rep designs based on α–arrays to allow for a much broader class of designs to be constructed. Updating procedures for the average efficiency factor and its upper bound are developed for application to the computer generation of efficient p–rep designs.     

The concept of a child within sub‐Saharan African migrant homes: Reconciling culture and child rights

As international migration increases, the Australian socio‐cultural and political context in which sub‐Saharan African migrant families are settling is causing tension between traditional sub‐Saharan African migrant definitions of child and childhood experiences and host nation definitions particularly when compared with the child protection system. This paper seeks to explore and highlight the fundamental values and differences that determine perceptions and treatment of children within traditional sub‐Saharan African communities. Using a qualitative design, this study was influenced by acculturation theory. Four major themes emerged from the analysis: (a) culture and the sub‐Saharan African child, (b) moulding good children, (c) family functioning and relationships, and (d) host context: perceptions of Australian mainstream parenting. The study found that in order to successfully make decisions that are in the best interest of sub‐Saharan African migrant children that come to the attention of the child protection system, discussions about children rights can only yield good outcomes when the child's socio‐cultural environment is considered.     

AN ALGORITHM FOR CONSTRUCTING OPTIMAL RESOLVABLE ROW-COLUMN DESIGNS

This paper describes an effective algorithm for constructing optimal or near-optimal resolvable row-column designs (RCDs) with up to 100 treatments. The performance of this algorithm is assessed against 20 2-replicate resolvable RCDs of Patterson & Robinson (1989) and 17 resolvable RCDs based on generalized cyclic designs (GCDs) of Ipinyomi & John (1985). The use of the algorithm to construct RCDs with contiguous replicates is discussed.     

MODEL FORMULATION FOR FLEET SIZE ANALYSIS OF A UNIVERSITY MOTOR POOL

A GPSS/360 model was developed to investigate the behavior of a university's motor pool dispatch fleet. Time-series data were collected and frequency distributions were constructed for vehicle request patterns and trip-duration times. Regression analysis was performed to formulate trip mileage generators as functions of service time. Appropriate statistical goodness-of-fit tests were conducted to ascertain the extent of congruence between actual system behavior and expectations based on a number of theoretical distributions. Analysis of simulated response variables indicates that the model's internal structure reproduces reality to a high degree. Fifteen years of simulated experience were generated for six alternative fleet size configurations; results suggest that reductions in existing fleet capacity could be realized without effecting undue impairment in service levels.     

O(m2) ALGORITHMS FOR THE TWO AND THREE SUBLOT LOT STREAMING PROBLEM

Lot streaming is the process of splitting a job or lot into sublots to reduce its makespan on a sequence of machines. The goal in the lot streaming problem is to find the optimal size of each sublot that will minimize the makespan. The makespan is defined as the time the last sublot completes its processing on the last machine. If the sizes of these sublots are restricted to remain the same on all machines, the solution is called a consistent sublot solution. However, if the sizes of the sublots are allowed to vary, the solution is referred to as a nonconsistent or variable sublot solution. Also, if the machines must be in operation continuously from the first to the last sublot, the solution is a no idling solution. When setups are explicitly considered in the problem, there will be two cases. If setups on each machine require some portion of the first sublot be present by the machine, the problem is referred to as the attached setup time problem. If setups can be performed ahead of time before the first sublot reaches the particular machine, the corresponding problem is referred to as the detached setup problem. Finally, if the machines are allowed to be idle between the processing of sublots, the resultant solution is an intermittent idling solution. In this paper, the consistent sublot lot streaming problem with intermittent idling and no setups is discussed. The models developed also assume that the number of sublots are fixed and known. The m machine two sublot lot streaming problem is reviewed. An algorithm for the three sublot, m machine problem is derived using a network representation of the problem. The complexity of the algorithm is O (m²). Finally, using the insights from three sublot problem, a heuristic algorithm is provided for the m machine, n sublot problems. The results on the proposed heuristic are very encouraging; average percent deviation from optimal makespan is approximately at 0.76% on 155 randomly generated problems with different m and n values.