Chapman & Hall/CRC Monographs on Statistics and Applied Probability – serie

Although there has been a surge of interest in density estimation in recent years, much of the published research has been concerned with purely technical matters with insufficient emphasis given to the technique's practical value. Furthermore, the subject has been rather inaccessible to the general statistician.The account presented in this book places emphasis on topics of methodological importance, in the hope that this will facilitate broader practical application of density estimation and also encourage research into relevant theoretical work. The book also provides an introduction to the subject for those with general interests in statistics. The important role of density estimation as a graphical technique is reflected by the inclusion of more than 50 graphs and figures throughout the text.Several contexts in which density estimation can be used are discussed, including the exploration and presentation of data, nonparametric discriminant analysis, cluster analysis, simulation and the bootstrap, bump hunting, projection pursuit, and the estimation of hazard rates and other quantities that depend on the density. This book includes general survey of methods available for density estimation. The Kernel method, both for univariate and multivariate data, is discussed in detail, with particular emphasis on ways of deciding how much to smooth and on computation aspects. Attention is also given to adaptive methods, which smooth to a greater degree in the tails of the distribution, and to methods based on the idea of penalized likelihood.

This book provides a general framework for learning sparse graphical models with conditional independence tests. It includes complete treatments for Gaussian, Poisson, multinomial, and mixed data; unified treatments for covariate adjustments, data integration, and network comparison; unified treatments for missing data and heterogeneous data; efficient methods for joint estimation of multiple graphical models; effective methods of high-dimensional variable selection; and effective methods of high-dimensional inference. The methods possess an embarrassingly parallel structure in performing conditional independence tests, and the computation can be significantly accelerated by running in parallel on a multi-core computer or a parallel architecture. This book is intended to serve researchers and scientists interested in high-dimensional statistics, and graduate students in broad data science disciplines.Key Features: A general framework for learning sparse graphical models with conditional independence tests Complete treatments for different types of data, Gaussian, Poisson, multinomial, and mixed data Unified treatments for data integration, network comparison, and covariate adjustment Unified treatments for missing data and heterogeneous data Efficient methods for joint estimation of multiple graphical models Effective methods of high-dimensional variable selectionEffective methods of high-dimensional inference

Praise for the first edition:[This book] reflects the extensive experience and significant contributions of the author to non-linear and non-Gaussian modeling. … [It] is a valuable book, especially with its broad and accessible introduction of models in the state-space framework. –Statistics in MedicineWhat distinguishes this book from comparable introductory texts is the use of state-space modeling. Along with this come a number of valuable tools for recursive filtering and smoothing, including the Kalman filter, as well as non-Gaussian and sequential Monte Carlo filters.–MAA ReviewsIntroduction to Time Series Modeling with Applications in R, Second Edition covers numerous stationary and nonstationary time series models and tools for estimating and utilizing them. The goal of this book is to enable readers to build their own models to understand, predict and master time series. The second edition makes it possible for readers to reproduce examples in this book by using the freely available R package TSSS to perform computations for their own real-world time series problems.This book employs the state-space model as a generic tool for time series modeling and presents the Kalman filter, the non-Gaussian filter and the particle filter as convenient tools for recursive estimation for state-space models. Further, it also takes a unified approach based on the entropy maximization principle and employs various methods of parameter estimation and model selection, including the least squares method, the maximum likelihood method, recursive estimation for state-space models and model selection by AIC.Along with the standard stationary time series models, such as the AR and ARMA models, the book also introduces nonstationary time series models such as the locally stationary AR model, the trend model, the seasonal adjustment model, the time-varying coefficient AR model and nonlinear non-Gaussian state-space models.About the Author:Genshiro Kitagawa is a project professor at the University of Tokyo, the former Director-General of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and the former President of the Research Organization of Information and Systems.

Bayesian Nonparametrics for Causal Inference and Missing Data provides an overview of flexible Bayesian nonparametric (BNP) methods for modeling joint or conditional distributions and functional relationships, and their interplay with causal inference and missing data. This book emphasizes the importance of making untestable assumptions to identify estimands of interest, such as missing at random assumption for missing data and unconfoundedness for causal inference in observational studies. Unlike parametric methods, the BNP approach can account for possible violations of assumptions and minimize concerns about model misspecification. The overall strategy is to first specify BNP models for observed data and then to specify additional uncheckable assumptions to identify estimands of interest.The book is divided into three parts. Part I develops the key concepts in causal inference and missing data and reviews relevant concepts in Bayesian inference. Part II introduces the fundamental BNP tools required to address causal inference and missing data problems. Part III shows how the BNP approach can be applied in a variety of case studies. The datasets in the case studies come from electronic health records data, survey data, cohort studies, and randomized clinical trials.Features• Thorough discussion of both BNP and its interplay with causal inference and missing data• How to use BNP and g-computation for causal inference and non-ignorable missingness• How to derive and calibrate sensitivity parameters to assess sensitivity to deviations from uncheckable causal and/or missingness assumptions• Detailed case studies illustrating the application of BNP methods to causal inference and missing data• R code and/or packages to implement BNP in causal inference and missing data problemsThe book is primarily aimed at researchers and graduate students from statistics and biostatistics. It will also serve as a useful practical reference for mathematically sophisticated epidemiologists and medical researchers.

Useful in the theoretical and empirical analysis of nonlinear time series data, semiparametric methods have received extensive attention in the economics and statistics communities over the past twenty years. Recent studies show that semiparametric methods and models may be applied to solve dimensionality reduction problems arising from using fully nonparametric models and methods. Answering the call for an up-to-date overview of the latest developments in the field, Nonlinear Time Series: Semiparametric and Nonparametric Methods focuses on various semiparametric methods in model estimation, specification testing, and selection of time series data.After a brief introduction, the book examines semiparametric estimation and specification methods and then applies these approaches to a class of nonlinear continuous-time models with real-world data. It also assesses some newly proposed semiparametric estimation procedures for time series data with long-range dependence. Even though the book only deals with climatological and financial data, the estimation and specifications methods discussed can be applied to models with real-world data in many disciplines.This resource covers key methods in time series analysis and provides the necessary theoretical details. The latest applied finance and financial econometrics results and applications presented in the book enable researchers and graduate students to keep abreast of developments in the field.

Identifying the sources and measuring the impact of haphazard variations are important in any number of research applications, from clinical trials and genetics to industrial design and psychometric testing. Only in very simple situations can such variations be represented effectively by independent, identically distributed random variables or by random sampling from a hypothetical infinite population.Components of Variance illuminates the complexities of the subject, setting forth its principles with focus on both the development of models for detailed analyses and the statistical techniques themselves. The authors first consider balanced and unbalanced situations, then move to the treatment of non-normal data, beginning with the Poisson and binomial models and followed by extensions to survival data and more general situations. In the final chapter, they discuss ways of extending and assessing various models, including the study of exceedances, the use of nonlinear representations, the study of transformations of the response variable, and the detailed examination of the distributional form of the underlying random variables.Careful signposting and numerous examples from genetic data analysis, clinical trial design, longitudinal data analysis, industrial design, and meta-analysis make this book accessible - and valuable - not only to statisticians but to all applied research scientists who use statistical methods.

Originally published in 1990, the first edition of Subset Selection in Regression filled a significant gap in the literature, and its critical and popular success has continued for more than a decade. Thoroughly revised to reflect progress in theory, methods, and computing power, the second edition promises to continue that tradition. The author has thoroughly updated each chapter, incorporated new material on recent developments, and included more examples and references. New in the Second Edition:A separate chapter on Bayesian methods Complete revision of the chapter on estimation A major example from the field of near infrared spectroscopy More emphasis on cross-validation Greater focus on bootstrapping Stochastic algorithms for finding good subsets from large numbers of predictors when an exhaustive search is not feasible Software available on the Internet for implementing many of the algorithms presented More examplesSubset Selection in Regression, Second Edition remains dedicated to the techniques for fitting and choosing models that are linear in their parameters and to understanding and correcting the bias introduced by selecting a model that fits only slightly better than others. The presentation is clear, concise, and belongs on the shelf of anyone researching, using, or teaching subset selecting techniques.

The authors of this monograph have developed a large and important class of survival analysis models that generalize most of the existing models. In a unified, systematic presentation, this monograph fully details those models and explores areas of accelerated life testing usually only touched upon in the literature.Accelerated Life Models: Modeling and Statistical Analysis presents models, methods of data collection, and statistical analysis for failure-time regression data in accelerated life testing and for degradation data with explanatory variables. In addition to the classical results, the authors devote considerable attention to models with time-varying explanatory variables and to methods of semiparametric estimation. They also examine the simultaneous analysis of degradation and failure-time data when the intensities of failure in different modes depend on the level of degradation and the values of explanatory variables.The authors avoid technical details by explaining the ideas and referring to resources where thorough analysis can be found. Whether used for teaching, research or general reference, Accelerated Life Models: Modeling and Statistical Analysis provides new and known models and modern methods of accelerated life data analysis.

Bayesian methods in reliability cannot be fully utilized and understood without full comprehension of the essential differences that exist between frequentist probability and subjective probability. Switching from the frequentist to the subjective approach requires that some fundamental concepts be rethought and suitably redefined.Subjective Probability Models for Lifetimes details those differences and clarifies aspects of subjective probability that have a direct influence on modeling and drawing inference from failure and survival data. In particular, within a framework of Bayesian theory, the author considers the effects of different levels of information in the analysis of the phenomena of positive and negative aging.The author coherently reviews and compares the various definitions and results concerning stochastic ordering, statistical dependence, reliability, and decision theory. He offers a detailed but accessible mathematical treatment of different aspects of probability distributions for exchangeable vectors of lifetimes that imparts a clear understanding of what the "probabilistic description of aging" really is, and why it is important to analyzing survival and failure data.

As the amount of information recorded and stored electronically grows ever larger, it becomes increasingly useful, if not essential, to develop better and more efficient ways to summarize and extract information from these large, multivariate data sets. The field of classification does just that-investigates sets of "objects" to see if they can be summarized into a small number of classes comprising similar objects.Researchers have made great strides in the field over the last twenty years, and classification is no longer perceived as being concerned solely with exploratory analyses. The second edition of Classification incorporates many of the new and powerful methodologies developed since its first edition. Like its predecessor, this edition describes both clustering and graphical methods of representing data, and offers advice on how to decide which methods of analysis best apply to a particular data set. It goes even further, however, by providing critical overviews of recent developments not widely known, including efficient clustering algorithms, cluster validation, consensus classifications, and the classification of symbolic data.The author has taken an approach accessible to researchers in the wide variety of disciplines that can benefit from classification analysis and methods. He illustrates the methodologies by applying them to data sets-smaller sets given in the text, larger ones available through a Web site.Large multivariate data sets can be difficult to comprehend-the sheer volume and complexity can prove overwhelming. Classification methods provide efficient, accurate ways to make them less unwieldy and extract more information. Classification, Second Edition offers the ideal vehicle for gaining the background and learning the methodologies-and begin putting these techniques to use.

Statistical inference carries great significance in model building from both the theoretical and the applications points of view. Its applications to engineering and economic systems, financial economics, and the biological and medical sciences have made statistical inference for stochastic processes a well-recognized and important branch of statistics and probability. The class of semimartingales includes a large class of stochastic processes, including diffusion type processes, point processes, and diffusion type processes with jumps, widely used for stochastic modeling. Until now, however, researchers have had no single reference that collected the research conducted on the asymptotic theory for semimartingales.Semimartingales and their Statistical Inference, fills this need by presenting a comprehensive discussion of the asymptotic theory of semimartingales at a level needed for researchers working in the area of statistical inference for stochastic processes. The author brings together into one volume the state-of-the-art in the inferential aspect for such processes. The topics discussed include:Asymptotic likelihood theory Quasi-likelihood Likelihood and efficiency Inference for counting processes Inference for semimartingale regression models The author addresses a number of stochastic modeling applications from engineering, economic systems, financial economics, and medical sciences. He also includes some of the new and challenging statistical and probabilistic problems facing today's active researchers working in the area of inference for stochastic processes.

The analysis prediction and interpolation of economic and other time series has a long history and many applications. Major new developments are taking place, driven partly by the need to analyze financial data. The five papers in this book describe those new developments from various viewpoints and are intended to be an introduction accessible to readers from a range of backgrounds.The book arises out of the second Seminaire European de Statistique (SEMSTAT) held in Oxford in December 1994. This brought together young statisticians from across Europe, and a series of introductory lectures were given on topics at the forefront of current research activity. The lectures form the basis for the five papers contained in the book.The papers by Shephard and Johansen deal respectively with time series models for volatility, i.e. variance heterogeneity, and with cointegration. Clements and Hendry analyze the nature of prediction errors. A complementary review paper by Laird gives a biometrical view of the analysis of short time series. Finally Astrup and Nielsen give a mathematical introduction to the study of option pricing. Whilst the book draws its primary motivation from financial series and from multivariate econometric modelling, the applications are potentially much broader.

Large observational studies involving research questions that require the measurement of several features on each individual arise in many fields including the social and medical sciences. This book sets out both the general concepts and the more technical statistical issues involved in analysis and interpretation. Numerous illustrative examples are described in outline and four studies are discussed in some detail.The use of graphical representations of dependencies and independencies among the features under study is stressed, both to incorporate available knowledge at the planning stage of an analysis and to summarize aspects important for interpretation after detailed statistical analysis is complete. This book is aimed at research workers using statistical methods as well as statisticians involved in empirical research.

This monograph provides a careful review of the major statistical techniques used to analyze regression data with nonconstant variability and skewness. The authors have developed statistical techniques--such as formal fitting methods and less formal graphical techniques-- that can be applied to many problems across a range of disciplines, including pharmacokinetics, econometrics, biochemical assays, and fisheries research.While the main focus of the book in on data transformation and weighting, it also draws upon ideas from diverse fields such as influence diagnostics, robustness, bootstrapping, nonparametric data smoothing, quasi-likelihood methods, errors-in-variables, and random coefficients. The authors discuss the computation of estimates and give numerous examples using real data. The book also includes an extensive treatment of estimating variance functions in regression.

The author's research has been directed towards inference involving observables rather than parameters. In this book, he brings together his views on predictive or observable inference and its advantages over parametric inference. While the book discusses a variety of approaches to prediction including those based on parametric, nonparametric, and nonstochastic statistical models, it is devoted mainly to predictive applications of the Bayesian approach. It not only substitutes predictive analyses for parametric analyses, but it also presents predictive analyses that have no real parametric analogues. It demonstrates that predictive inference can be a critical component of even strict parametric inference when dealing with interim analyses. This approach to predictive inference will be of interest to statisticians, psychologists, econometricians, and sociologists.

This book takes the standard methods as the starting point, and then describes a wide range of relatively new approaches and procedures designed to deal with more complicated data and experiments - including much recent research in the area. Throughout mention is given to the computing requirements - facilities available in large computing packages like BMDP, SAS and SPSS are also described.

Repeated measures data arise when the same characteristic is measured on each case or subject at several times or under several conditions. There is a multitude of techniques available for analysing such data and in the past this has led to some confusion. This book describes the whole spectrum of approaches, beginning with very simple and crude methods, working through intermediate techniques commonly used by consultant statisticians, and concluding with more recent and advanced methods. Those covered include multiple testing, response feature analysis, univariate analysis of variance approaches, multivariate analysis of variance approaches, regression models, two-stage line models, approaches to categorical data and techniques for analysing crossover designs. The theory is illustrated with examples, using real data brought to the authors during their work as statistical consultants.

The book gives an up-to-date account of various approaches availablefor the analysis of infectious disease data. Most of the methods havebeen developed only recently, and for those based on particularlymodern mathematics, details of the computation are carefullyillustrated. Interpretation is discussed at some length and the emphasisthroughout is on making statistical inferences about epidemiologicallyimportant parameters.Niels G. Becker is Reader in Statistics at La Trobe University,Australia.

Mixture models are a powerful tool for analyzing complex and heterogeneous datasets across many scientific fields, from finance to genomics. Mixture Models: Parametric, Semiparametric, and New Directions provides an up-to-date introduction to these models, their recent developments, and their implementation using R. It fills a gap in the literature by covering not only the basics of finite mixture models, but also recent developments such as semiparametric extensions, robust modeling, label switching, and high-dimensional modeling.FeaturesComprehensive overview of the methods and applications of mixture modelsKey topics include hypothesis testing, model selection, estimation methods, and Bayesian approachesRecent developments, such as semiparametric extensions, robust modeling, label switching, and high-dimensional modelingExamples and case studies from such fields as astronomy, biology, genomics, economics, finance, medicine, engineering, and sociologyIntegrated R code for many of the models, with code and data available in the R Package MixSemiRobMixture Models: Parametric, Semiparametric, and New Directions is a valuable resource for researchers and postgraduate students from statistics, biostatistics, and other fields. It could be used as a textbook for a course on model-based clustering methods, and as a supplementary text for courses on data mining, semiparametric modeling, and high-dimensional data analysis.

Outside of randomized experiments, association does not imply causation, and yet there is nothing defective about our knowledge that smoking causes lung cancer, a conclusion reached in the absence of randomized experimentation with humans. How is that possible? If observed associations do not identify causal effects in observational studies, how can a sequence of such associations become decisive? Two or more associations may each be susceptible to unmeasured biases, yet not susceptible to the same biases. An observational study has two evidence factors if it provides two comparisons susceptible to different biases that may be combined as if from independent studies of different data by different investigators, despite using the same data twice. If the two factors concur, then they may exhibit greater insensitivity to unmeasured biases than either factor exhibits on its own. Replication and Evidence Factors in Observational Studies includes four parts: A concise introduction to causal inference, making the book self-contained Practical examples of evidence factors from the health and social sciences with analyses in R The theory of evidence factors Study design with evidence factorsA companion R package evident is available from CRAN.

Praise for the first edition:[This book] reflects the extensive experience and significant contributions of the author to non-linear and non-Gaussian modeling. … [It] is a valuable book, especially with its broad and accessible introduction of models in the state-space framework. –Statistics in MedicineWhat distinguishes this book from comparable introductory texts is the use of state-space modeling. Along with this come a number of valuable tools for recursive filtering and smoothing, including the Kalman filter, as well as non-Gaussian and sequential Monte Carlo filters.–MAA ReviewsIntroduction to Time Series Modeling with Applications in R, Second Edition covers numerous stationary and nonstationary time series models and tools for estimating and utilizing them. The goal of this book is to enable readers to build their own models to understand, predict and master time series. The second edition makes it possible for readers to reproduce examples in this book by using the freely available R package TSSS to perform computations for their own real-world time series problems.This book employs the state-space model as a generic tool for time series modeling and presents the Kalman filter, the non-Gaussian filter and the particle filter as convenient tools for recursive estimation for state-space models. Further, it also takes a unified approach based on the entropy maximization principle and employs various methods of parameter estimation and model selection, including the least squares method, the maximum likelihood method, recursive estimation for state-space models and model selection by AIC.Along with the standard stationary time series models, such as the AR and ARMA models, the book also introduces nonstationary time series models such as the locally stationary AR model, the trend model, the seasonal adjustment model, the time-varying coefficient AR model and nonlinear non-Gaussian state-space models.About the Author:Genshiro Kitagawa is a project professor at the University of Tokyo, the former Director-General of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, and the former President of the Research Organization of Information and Systems.

Models for Dependent Time Series addresses the issues that arise and the methodology that can be applied when the dependence between time series is described and modeled. Whether you work in the economic, physical, or life sciences, the book shows you how to draw meaningful, applicable, and statistically valid conclusions from multivariate (or vector) time series data.The first four chapters discuss the two main pillars of the subject that have been developed over the last 60 years: vector autoregressive modeling and multivariate spectral analysis. These chapters provide the foundational material for the remaining chapters, which cover the construction of structural models and the extension of vector autoregressive modeling to high frequency, continuously recorded, and irregularly sampled series. The final chapter combines these approaches with spectral methods for identifying causal dependence between time series.Web ResourceA supplementary website provides the data sets used in the examples as well as documented MATLAB® functions and other code for analyzing the examples and producing the illustrations. The site also offers technical details on the estimation theory and methods and the implementation of the models.

Bayesian Inference for Partially Identified Models: Exploring the Limits of Limited Data shows how the Bayesian approach to inference is applicable to partially identified models (PIMs) and examines the performance of Bayesian procedures in partially identified contexts. Drawing on his many years of research in this area, the author presents a thorough overview of the statistical theory, properties, and applications of PIMs.The book first describes how reparameterization can assist in computing posterior quantities and providing insight into the properties of Bayesian estimators. It next compares partial identification and model misspecification, discussing which is the lesser of the two evils. The author then works through PIM examples in depth, examining the ramifications of partial identification in terms of how inferences change and the extent to which they sharpen as more data accumulate. He also explains how to characterize the value of information obtained from data in a partially identified context and explores some recent applications of PIMs. In the final chapter, the author shares his thoughts on the past and present state of research on partial identification.This book helps readers understand how to use Bayesian methods for analyzing PIMs. Readers will recognize under what circumstances a posterior distribution on a target parameter will be usefully narrow versus uselessly wide.

Multi-State Survival Models for Interval-Censored Data introduces methods to describe stochastic processes that consist of transitions between states over time. It is targeted at researchers in medical statistics, epidemiology, demography, and social statistics. One of the applications in the book is a three-state process for dementia and survival in the older population. This process is described by an illness-death model with a dementia-free state, a dementia state, and a dead state. Statistical modelling of a multi-state process can investigate potential associations between the risk of moving to the next state and variables such as age, gender, or education. A model can also be used to predict the multi-state process.The methods are for longitudinal data subject to interval censoring. Depending on the definition of a state, it is possible that the time of the transition into a state is not observed exactly. However, when longitudinal data are available the transition time may be known to lie in the time interval defined by two successive observations. Such an interval-censored observation scheme can be taken into account in the statistical inference.Multi-state modelling is an elegant combination of statistical inference and the theory of stochastic processes. Multi-State Survival Models for Interval-Censored Data shows that the statistical modelling is versatile and allows for a wide range of applications.

Longitudinal studies often incur several problems that challenge standard statistical methods for data analysis. These problems include non-ignorable missing data in longitudinal measurements of one or more response variables, informative observation times of longitudinal data, and survival analysis with intermittently measured time-dependent covariates that are subject to measurement error and/or substantial biological variation. Joint modeling of longitudinal and time-to-event data has emerged as a novel approach to handle these issues.Joint Modeling of Longitudinal and Time-to-Event Data provides a systematic introduction and review of state-of-the-art statistical methodology in this active research field. The methods are illustrated by real data examples from a wide range of clinical research topics. A collection of data sets and software for practical implementation of the joint modeling methodologies are available through the book website.This book serves as a reference book for scientific investigators who need to analyze longitudinal and/or survival data, as well as researchers developing methodology in this field. It may also be used as a textbook for a graduate level course in biostatistics or statistics.

The state-space approach provides a formal framework where any result or procedure developed for a basic model can be seamlessly applied to a standard formulation written in state-space form. Moreover, it can accommodate with a reasonable effort nonstandard situations, such as observation errors, aggregation constraints, or missing in-sample values.Exploring the advantages of this approach, State-Space Methods for Time Series Analysis: Theory, Applications and Software presents many computational procedures that can be applied to a previously specified linear model in state-space form. After discussing the formulation of the state-space model, the book illustrates the flexibility of the state-space representation and covers the main state estimation algorithms: filtering and smoothing. It then shows how to compute the Gaussian likelihood for unknown coefficients in the state-space matrices of a given model before introducing subspace methods and their application. It also discusses signal extraction, describes two algorithms to obtain the VARMAX matrices corresponding to any linear state-space model, and addresses several issues relating to the aggregation and disaggregation of time series. The book concludes with a cross-sectional extension to the classical state-space formulation in order to accommodate longitudinal or panel data. Missing data is a common occurrence here, and the book explains imputation procedures necessary to treat missingness in both exogenous and endogenous variables.Web ResourceThe authors’ E4 MATLAB® toolbox offers all the computational procedures, administrative and analytical functions, and related materials for time series analysis. This flexible, powerful, and free software tool enables readers to replicate the practical examples in the text and apply the procedures to their own work.

Nonparametric Models for Longitudinal Data with Implementations in R presents a comprehensive summary of major advances in nonparametric models and smoothing methods with longitudinal data. It covers methods, theories, and applications that are particularly useful for biomedical studies in the era of big data and precision medicine. It also provides flexible tools to describe the temporal trends, covariate effects and correlation structures of repeated measurements in longitudinal data. This book is intended for graduate students in statistics, data scientists and statisticians in biomedical sciences and public health. As experts in this area, the authors present extensive materials that are balanced between theoretical and practical topics. The statistical applications in real-life examples lead into meaningful interpretations and inferences. Features: Provides an overview of parametric and semiparametric methods Shows smoothing methods for unstructured nonparametric models Covers structured nonparametric models with time-varying coefficients Discusses nonparametric shared-parameter and mixed-effects models Presents nonparametric models for conditional distributions and functionals Illustrates implementations using R software packages Includes datasets and code in the authors’ website Contains asymptotic results and theoretical derivations Both authors are mathematical statisticians at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and have published extensively in statistical and biomedical journals. Colin O. Wu earned his Ph.D. in statistics from the University of California, Berkeley (1990), and is also Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He served as Associate Editor for Biometrics and Statistics in Medicine, and reviewer for National Science Foundation, NIH, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Xin Tian earned her Ph.D. in statistics from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (2003). She has served on various NIH committees and collaborated extensively with clinical researchers.

Multistate Models for the Analysis of Life History Data provides the first comprehensive treatment of multistate modeling and analysis, including parametric, nonparametric and semiparametric methods applicable to many types of life history data. Special models such as illness-death, competing risks and progressive processes are considered, as well as more complex models. The book provides both theoretical development and illustrations of analysis based on data from randomized trials and observational cohort studies in health research. Key Features: Discusses a wide range of applications of multistate models.Presents methods for both continuously and intermittently observed life history processes.Gives a thorough discussion of conditionally independent censoring and observation processes.Discusses models with random effects and joint models for two or more multistate processes.Discusses and illustrates software for multistate analysis that is available in RTarget audience includes those engaged in research and applications involving multistate models.

Kernel smoothing has greatly evolved since its inception to become an essential methodology in the data science tool kit for the 21st century. Its widespread adoption is due to its fundamental role for multivariate exploratory data analysis, as well as the crucial role it plays in composite solutions to complex data challenges.Multivariate Kernel Smoothing and Its Applications offers a comprehensive overview of both aspects. It begins with a thorough exposition of the approaches to achieve the two basic goals of estimating probability density functions and their derivatives. The focus then turns to the applications of these approaches to more complex data analysis goals, many with a geometric/topological flavour, such as level set estimation, clustering (unsupervised learning), principal curves, and feature significance. Other topics, while not direct applications of density (derivative) estimation but sharing many commonalities with the previous settings, include classification (supervised learning), nearest neighbour estimation, and deconvolution for data observed with error.For a data scientist, each chapter contains illustrative Open data examples that are analysed by the most appropriate kernel smoothing method. The emphasis is always placed on an intuitive understanding of the data provided by the accompanying statistical visualisations. For a reader wishing to investigate further the details of their underlying statistical reasoning, a graduated exposition to a unified theoretical framework is provided. The algorithms for efficient software implementation are also discussed.José E. Chacón is an associate professor at the Department of Mathematics of the Universidad de Extremadura in Spain.Tarn Duong is a Senior Data Scientist for a start-up which provides short distance carpooling services in France. Both authors have made important contributions to kernel smoothing research over the last couple of decades.