In recent years there has been substantial and growing interest in small area estimation (SAE) that is largely driven by practical demands. Here, the term "small area" typically refers to a subpopulation or domain of interest for which a reliable direct estimate, based only on the domain-specific sample, cannot be produced due to small sample size in the domain.Keywords in SAE are “borrowing strength”. Because there are insufficient samples from the small areas to produce reliable ...

This book offers a comprehensive guide to large sample techniques in statistics. With a focus on developing analytical skills and understanding motivation, Large Sample Techniques for Statistics begins with fundamental techniques, and connects theory and applications in engaging ways.The first five chapters review some of the basic techniques, such as the fundamental epsilon-delta arguments, Taylor expansion, different types of convergence, and inequalities. The next five ...

Now in its second edition, this book covers two major classes of mixed effects models—linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models—and it presents an up-to-date account of theory and methods in analysis of these models as well as their applications in various fields. It offers a systematic approach to inference about non-Gaussian linear mixed models. Furthermore, it discusses the latest developments and methods in the field, incorporating relevant updates since publication of th...

This book is about a recently developed class of strategies, known as the fence methods, which fits particularly well in non-conventional and complex model selection problems with practical considerations. The idea involves a procedure to isolate a subgroup of what are known as correct models, of which the optimal model is a member. This is accomplished by constructing a statistical fence, or barrier, to carefully eliminate incorrect models. Once the fence is constructed, the optimal model...

Mixed-effects models have found broad applications in various fields. As a result, the interest in learning and using these models is rapidly growing. On the other hand, some of these models, such as the linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models, are highly parametric, involving distributional assumptions that may not be satisfied in real-life problems. Therefore, it is important, from a practical standpoint, that the methods of inference about these models are robust to viol...

Large sample techniques are fundamental to all fields of statistics. Mixed effects models, including linear mixed models, generalized linear mixed models, non-linear mixed effects models, and non-parametric mixed effects models are complex models, yet, these models are extensively used in practice. This monograph provides a comprehensive account of asymptotic analysis of mixed effects models.The monograph is suitable for researchers and graduate students who wish to learn about asy...

Plant Centromere Biology is dedicated to plant centromere research. Chapters cover the structure of centromeres from several plant species including Arabidopsis thaliana, rice, maize, wheat and beet, while other sections cover several unique characteristics associated with plant centromeres, including classical and modern neocentromeres, centromere drive and centromere misdivision. Additional chapters are dedicated to epigenetic modification and evolution of plant centromeres, and...

A valuable overview of the most important ideas and results in statistical modelingWritten by a highly-experienced author, Foundations of Linear and Generalized Linear Models is a clear and comprehensive guide to the key concepts and results of linearstatistical models. The book presents a broad, in-depth overview of the most commonly usedstatistical models by discussing the theory underlying the models, R software applications,and examples with crafted mo...

Contingency tables arise in diverse fields, including life sciences, education, social and political sciences, notably market research and opinion surveys. Their analysis plays an essential role in gaining insight into structures of the quantities under consideration and in supporting decision making.Combining both theory and applications, this book presents models and methods for the analysis of two- and multidimensional-contingency tables. The author uses a threefold approach, pr...

Statistical Models and Methods for Reliability and Survival Analysis brings together contributions by specialists in statistical theory as they discuss their applications providing up-to-date developments in methods used in survival analysis, statistical goodness of fit, stochastic processes for system reliability, amongst others. Many of these are related to the work of Professor M. Nikulin in statistics over the past 30 years. The authors gather together various contributions wi...

This text is intended for a broad audience as both an introduction to predictive models as well as a guide to applying them. Non-mathematical readers will appreciate the intuitive explanations of the techniques while an emphasis on problem-solving with real data across a wide variety of applications will aid practitioners who wish to extend their expertise. Readers should have knowledge of basic statistical ideas, such as correlation and linear regression analysis. While the text is biased...

  James A. Shapiro proposes an important new paradigm for understanding biological evolution, the core organizing principle of biology. Shapiro introduces crucial new molecular evidence that tests the conventional scientific view of evolution based on the neo-Darwinian synthesis, shows why this view is inadequate to today's evidence, and presents a compelling alternative view of the evolutionary process that reflects the shift in life sciences...