st: RE: RE: new version of -rct_minim- available

["Philip Ryan" <philip.ryan@adelaide.edu.au>]

<<..>>

Nick Cox pointed out that Paul Millar's program -matsort-, which is a
required subroutine for my program -rct_minim-, may only be used for
non-commercial purposes. In a vague and unspecified way, this was always my
intention for -rct_minim-, and in fact it was initially produced for
teaching purposes.  Paul Millar has always been given explicit credit for
-matsort- in the help file. 

Nevertheless, Nick is quite right to indicate that the full stipulations of
our programming colleagues should be respected.

Subsequently, Kit Baum, suggested some Mata code to avoid the use of
-matsort-.

In the first instance I have asked Kit to change the description of
-rct_minim- on the SSC server to reflect Paul Millar's injunction, and
propagate it to my program: -rct_minim- should, for the present, only be
used for non-commercial purposes.  I have also added a line of non-executed
code to the header of -rct_minim- such that a call to -which rct_minim- will
show the injunction.  Kit has already done this (thanks Kit).

When time for appropriate testing permits, I will produce a new version of
-rct_minim- embedding Kit's suggested Mata code, and then remove both the
need for -matsort- and the injunction from -rct_minim-.

Thanks again to Nick and Kit.


Phil

Philip Ryan
Professor and Director
Data Management & Analysis Centre [DMAC]
Discipline of Public Health
University of Adelaide 5005
South Australia



-----Original Message-----
From: owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu
[mailto:owner-statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu] On Behalf Of Nick Cox
Sent: Thursday, 7 October 2010 4:32 AM
To: 'statalist@hsphsun2.harvard.edu'
Subject: st: RE: new version of -rct_minim- available

Note that -matsort- includes the injunction

"This software can be used for non-commercial purposes only." 

Nick 
n.j.cox@durham.ac.uk 

Philip Ryan

Thanks to Kit Baum a new version of -rct_minim- is now available for
download from the SSC server.

-rct_minim- assigns treatments to subjects in a controlled trial in such a
way as to minimize the imbalance in prognostic factors.  It is based on
Pocock and Simons' paper (Biometrics 1975; full reference in the help file).

New features are:

(i) implementation of P&S' third method for choice of bias assignment (see
P&S section 3.3)

(ii) an option to delay the minimisation process until after the first #
subjects have been allocated their treatment. These # subjects are allocated
their treatment at random, a strategy some authorities recommend to better
maintain blinding.

In the command line, type:

ssc describe rct_minim

Note that -rct_minim- requires that Paul Millar's -matsort- program is
installed. -matsort- is also available from the SSC site.


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