Planning for permanency planning in foster care

The perceived severity of the problem of “drift” in the foster care system has encouraged agencies nationwide to accept permanency planning, but perhaps with limited attention to the planning process. This article examines the phenomenon of permanency planning from a planning perspective by focusing on: (a) definition of the permanency planning problem, (b) understanding of issues relevant to permanency planning (caseworker, program and systemic), (c) appreciation of the operational context (political, economic and social factors), and (d) evaluation of available options and possible consequences in developing or improving a permanency planning program. Permanency planning is not a simple, ready-made program applicable to any situation; it involves coordinated efforts by workers, service systems, and society in general, and requires time, commitment and resources. Successful planning for permanency planning can permit more children to grow up in homes providing continuity and stability.     

An infinite class of PBIB designs

In this paper, an infinite class of partially balanced incomplete block (PBIB) designs of m+1 associate classes is constructed through the use of a series of row-orthogonal matrices known as partially balanced orthogonal designs (PBOD) of m-associate classes. For the purpose, a series of PBOD is obtained through a method described herein. An infinite class of regular GD designs is also reported.     

Designing two factor experiments for selecting interactions

This paper considers the problem of devising a single stage procedure for selecting the treatment combination associated with the largest interaction in a two-factor rfx× c experiment having independent normally distributed observations with common known variance. The intuitive procedure based on the best linear unbiased estimators of the population interactions is employed. Initially an indifference zone formulation is used; the problem of determining the least favorable configuration is reduced to a nonlinear programming problem with log concave objective function and a convex polytope as feasible region. A solution technique is introduced in the context of an illustrative example. The problem is also considered using a preferred population formulation; this approach requires a strengthened version of the indifference zone probability requirement. It is shown that the same sample size guarantees this requirement as does the earlier one.     

Generalized Youden designs: construction and tables

Generalized Youden Designs are generalizations of the class of two-way balanced block designs which include Latin squares and Youden squares. They are used for the same purposes and in the same way that these classical designs are used, and satisfy most of the common criteria of design optimality.We explicitly display or give detailed instructions for constructing all these designs within a practical range: when υ, the number of treatments, is ?25; and b₁ and b₂, the dimensions of the design array, are each ?50.     

Inferences concerning interpersonal choices given anonymously

It may be difficult or impossible to make a reliable empirical investigation of an unknown network of interpersonal choices or contacts if these are in some respect sensitive for the individuals involved. We consider how choice data given anonymously can be used to reveal various features of the network. Using tools from statistical decision theory and information theory we can determine risks and capacities of disclosing choice data, the graph structure of choice data and its numbers of loops and mutuals. We give some general results, illustrate the combinatorial complexity of the problem and comment upon the computational difficulties.     

Optimal estimation of a finite population mean under generalized random permutation models

Employing certain generalized random permutation models and a general class of linear estimators of a finite population mean, it is shown that many of the conventional estimators are “optimal” in the sense of minimum average mean square error. Simple proofs are provided by using a well-known theorem on UMV estimation. The results also cover certain simple response error situations.     

Procedures for improving the mle for ordered binomial parameters

The problem is that of estimating the probabilities of m independent binomial random variables when their probabilities are known to be nondecreasing and the loss function is squared error. In the cases where the m.l.e. is inadmissible (essentially when the total number of trials is 7 or more) we present a method for modifying the m.l.e. to get a better estimator. The method requires a series of changes. At each step we alter the action taken by the m.l.e. on each of three, appropriately chosen, points in the sample space.     

Controlling health care costs: An evaluation of strategies

There has been much discussion about the factors underlying inflation in the health care sector and the means to moderate increases in health expenditures. This paper identifies various costcontainment strategies and synthesizes research findings that may be helpful in evaluating their effectiveness. The review demonstrates the complexity of the issues and relationships that must be confronted and understood in cost containment. The delivery system is shown to be not well-suited to improving efficiency and restraining health care expenditure. Any single strategy, whether it involves restructuring the market or more direct regulation, cannot in itself accomplish the combination of expenditure control and adequacy of services that is socially desirable. A number of mutually reinforcing strategies are required. Finally, more empirical and analytical information on incentives, provider and regulatory decisionmaking, costs of regulation, and the dynamics of negotiation, is essential for the design of an effective costcontainment program.     

A class of Shrunken estimators for normal mean

This paper presents a class of estimators for the mean of a normal population and determines the conditions on characterizing scalars under which the class of estimators uniformly dominates over the conventional sample mean according to the mean-square-error criterion.     

柔嫩艾美尔球虫(荣昌株)对球佳等三种抗球虫药的抗药性试验

采用鸡体药效试验法测定了柔嫩艾美尔球虫对球佳、球安、加福三种药物的抗药性。试验结果表明：球佳、球安、加福的最适抗球虫活性百分率（poAA）分别为58．po％、78．23％、叨．27％;病变记分减少率（RLS）为100％、72。73％、74．03％;相对盲肠卵鲢产量（ROP）为限26％、577.6％。288．6％。POAA‘PLS显示柔嫩艾美尔球虫对三种药物均无抗药性,而ROP显示对球安、加福有抗药性。综合POAA、RLS、ROP三项参数指标判定柔嫩艾美尔球虫对球佳敏感,对球安、加福有轻度抗药性。