Improved Sampling-Importance Resampling and Reduced Bias Importance Sampling

Abstract.  The sampling-importance resampling (SIR) algorithm aims at drawing a random sample from a target distribution π. First, a sample is drawn from a proposal distribution q , and then from this a smaller sample is drawn with sample probabilities proportional to the importance ratios π/ q . We propose here a simple adjustment of the sample probabilities and show that this gives faster convergence. The results indicate that our version converges better also for small sample sizes. The SIR algorithms are compared with the Metropolis–Hastings (MH) algorithm with independent proposals. Although MH converges asymptotically faster, the results indicate that our improved SIR version is better than MH for small sample sizes. We also establish a connection between the SIR algorithms and importance sampling with normalized weights. We show that the use of adjusted SIR sample probabilities as importance weights reduces the bias of the importance sampling estimate.     

Québec in France: towards an understanding of the trans-Atlantic French-Québec subject

This paper examines the events commemorating the 400th anniversary of the founding of Québec City in 2008 and, in particular, the ways in which the Québec 400 was celebrated in Western France. The author argues that the events provide an instance of trans-Atlantic subject formation. Through analyzing a series of public events that took place in the La Rochelle region of France in 2008, the author argues that this extra-national raciality was constituted through two specific modes: practices of territoriality that signify a ‘cartography of origins’ and tropes of family that affirm the racialized dimensions of Québécois belonging in France.     

Determining Attainment of the Epas Foundation Program Objectives

Building on research related to social cognitive theory and its construct of self-efficacy, this article describes the development of the Foundation Practice Self-Efficacy scale. This measure is designed to assess graduate social work programs' attempts to achieve the educational policy objectives for foundation-year graduate study set by the Council on Social Work Education. Preliminary evidence regarding the reliability, validity, and sensitivity to change of this measure are presented. The authors discuss changes in MSW students' self-efficacy over the course of the foundation year.     

Differences and similarities in men's and women's sexual self-schemas

In the last 10 years, researchers have developed separate rating scales for men and women that purport to measure a person's thoughts about their sexual self or sexual self-schema. While these scales are promising, there are some problems intrinsic to these measures. This study addresses these concerns and tests a combined measure for use among both men and women, while retaining internal consistency and a factor structure similar to the women's scale. Having both men and women complete the same scale permitted a comparison of how men and women think about their sexual selves. In this study, gender differences netted a small effect, with men scoring lower on both the loving/warmth and reserved/conservative factors compared to women. Results are discussed in terms of future research with this new scale and the meaning of gender differences along these dimensions.     

Outcomes of a randomized trial of continuum of care services for children in a child welfare system

The Connecticut Department of Children and Families Title IV-E waiver demonstration evaluated whether the well-being of children approved for residential mental health services could be improved, and lengths of stay in restrictive placements reduced, by providing case rate payments to community agencies to provide continuum of care services. Children between ages 7 and 15 were randomly assigned to either the demonstration group (n = 78) or to usual state-supported services (n = 79). One-year outcome results indicated that in a situation that is less costly, improvement in outcomes occurred in less restrictive settings. Continuum of care services were more effective in 1) returning children to in-home placements, 2) reducing the length of stay in restrictive placements, and (3) utilizing higher levels of case management through coordination among agencies and family support services.     

We Have Choices: globalisation and welfare user movements

This article connects and juxtaposes two important contemporary discourses in social policy: those of globalisation and of the 'welfare users' movements, particularly the movements of disabled people. It questions the widespread use of the globalisation process as a rationale for accepting that social policies should be subordinated to narrow economic constraints. It discusses the implications of social policies associated with globalisation for disabled people and other welfare service users, and their response to these. In particular the movements' emphasis on asserting choice in policy and their ability to influence the policy process is noted. The article concludes that there is much to be gained from a closer dialogue between the users' movements and social policy as a discipline, although there still seems to be some resistance to this from the latter.     

Online Peer Support Programs for Young People with a Parent Who has a Mental Illness: Service Providers’ Perspectives

Young people with a parent or parents who have mental illness are at a higher-than-average risk of experiencing emotional and behavioural difficulties. Notwithstanding the difficulties experienced by these young people, opportunities to interact with and obtain support from peers living in similar families can be beneficial. While young people face several barriers to participating in face-to-face peer support programs, online approaches potentially provide a different way of obtaining peer support. This paper aims to explore service providers’ perspectives on current Victorian peer support programs, as well as the strengths and weaknesses of online approaches to peer support. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 mental health professionals who work with families affected by parental mental illness. Participants recognised that many young people miss out on face-to-face peer support programs, and were highly supportive of the idea of online programs. This study suggests that online peer support programs for young people could occupy an important position in the evolving suite of services for Australian families affected by mental illness.