Standard and goodness-of-fit parameter estimation methods for the three-parameter lognormal distribution

A class of goodness-of-fit estimators is found to provide a useful alternative in certain situations to the standard maximum likelihood method which has some undesirable estimation characteristics for estimation from the three-parameter lognormal distribution. The class of goodness-of-fit tests considered include the Shapiro-Wilk and Filliben tests which reduce to a weighted linear combination of the order statistics that can be maximized in estimation problems. The weighted order statistic estimators are compared to the standard procedures in Monte Carlo simulations. Robustness of the procedures are examined and example data sets analyzed.     

Culture is Our Weapon: AfroReggae in the Favelas of Rio

This is a concise, accessible and engaging book, which introducesa range of issues related to development and community developmentin Brazil. Playing an intermediary role, Neate and Platt doa fine job of enabling residents in Rio's favelas to explainthe nitty-gritty of their lives to outsiders and provide theinteresting detail normally lacking in more academic pieces.Through residents' stories we learn, for example, how each favelais a world unto itself, how the drugs trade is organized, howit impacts on people's lives and how the police are perceivedby all concerned. Most of all we sense the overwhelming presenceof the culture of violence, illustrated by the barely crediblefact that...

... between 1948 and 1999, an estimated 13,000 peoplewere     

The movement of children for international adoption: An epidemiologic perspective

Statistics were assembled from countries which receive children for intercountry adoption. This data suggests that at least 170,000–180,000 children were involved in international adoption in the past decade; that international adoption has increased by 62 percent during this period; and that 90 percent of the children involved during the decade came from only ten sending countries. Sixty-eight sending countries were identified during the decade, a dramatic increase from the twenty-two sending countries identified in 1980. Although data was available from only fourteen receiving countries, at least twenty receiving countries were identified during the study. Asia has been the predominant sending region of the world, but if current patterns continue South America will soon become the major sending region. Every region of the world except Asia has increased both the number of children sent abroad and its share of world totals.     

Self-determination dissected

Clinical social workers highly value client self-determination yet little is known about how the practitioner applies the concept in ongoing practice. In a small exploratory study, 20 social workers, randomly selected from Utah's licensure list, were interviewed in depth about decision-making related to client self-determination. Even in a small, relatively homogeneous population, enormous variations were found in the application of the principle.     

Resident and family perspectives on assisted living

This research describes and compares the relative importance residents and family members place on attributes of the environment, the programs, and the policies of assisted living; describes their satisfaction with these features; and identifies factors associated with congruence between residents' and family members' ratings of importance and satisfaction. Both residents and their family members had high importance and satisfaction ratings. Family members gave the assisted living setting lower satisfaction ratings on all features than did residents. Congruence ranged from 34% to 71% for importance items and from 29% to 63% for satisfaction. Female residents, affectionate family relationships, and residing in an AL owned by a chain were positively associated with congruence on importance items, while resident and family education, resident income, and family involvement were negatively associated with congruence on importance items. For congruence on satisfaction items, having an affectionate relationship was positively associated and higher ADL dependency, more family involvement at the facility, and family members who viewed the facility as a safe place were negatively associated with congruence. This study makes a major stride forward because cognitively intact residents' perspectives are compared and contrasted with their own family members' perspectives, thus showing that residents and family members are two distinct groups, each with a unique set of preferences.     

Psychosocial predictors of self-esteem in a multiethnic sample of women over 50 at risk for HIV

Self-esteem is linked to high-risk behaviors in other populations but has not been examined in women aged 50 and older. This study explored how self-esteem is related to variables that can influence high-risk sexual behaviors in women over 50. A multiethnic community-based sample of 572 women aged 50 and older completed an anonymous questionnaire on sexual behaviors, sociodemographic characteristics, and psychosocial measures relevant to midlife and older women. Regression analysis showed sensation-seeking, HIV stigma, sexual assertiveness, and self-silencing predicted self-esteem in women over 50 (F = 43.632, p < .001). Factors such as relational context, interpersonal power, and silencing can affect self-esteem and may be contributing to HIV risk in this group.