Optimizing the test power for a radiation retention model in the human body

The model that describes the retention in lungs of radioisotope particles is studied in this paper, considering the situation of an accident in facilities that handle radioactive materials. Optimal times to make the bioassays are computed for D- and c-optimality, and efficiencies for the computed designs are provided and compared. Moreover, the test power is checked by means of simulations and replications. After that the inverse of the Fisher information matrix is compared to an estimation of the covariance matrix of the parameters. Finally, a study taking into consideration the randomness of the designs space is performed. Copyright (C) 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.