The methodology used to construct tree structured rules is the focus of this monograph. Unlike many other statistical procedures, which moved from pencil and paper to calculators, this text's use of trees was unthinkable before computers. Both the practical and theoretical sides have been developed in the authors' study of tree methods. Classification and Regression Trees reflects these two sides, covering the use of trees as a data analysis method, and in a more mathematical framework, pr...

China's growth in the past few decades has been unprecedented, and continues to stay strong as it expands its influence around the globe. However, in many ways, the once insular China is still looking to find its footing as an international player in the globalization game. Greater China in an Era of Globalization looks at the success of China and its surrounding territories of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau and asks the question "What is Chinese globalization?". The contributors in...

An Introduction to Statistical Learning provides an accessible overview of the field of statistical learning, an essential toolset for making sense of the vast and complex data sets that have emerged in fields ranging from biology to finance to marketing to astrophysics in the past twenty years. This book presents some of the most important modeling and prediction techniques, along with relevant applications. Topics include linear regression, classification, resampling met...

China's future is arguably the most consequential question in global affairs. Having enjoyed unprecedented levels of growth, China is at a critical juncture in the development of its economy, society, polity, national security, and international relations. The direction the nation takes at this turning point will determine whether it stalls or continues to develop and prosper.Will China be successful in implementing a new wave of transformational reforms that could last decades and...

Soft power has become a very popular concept in international affairs, appearing in government policy papers, academic discussions, and the popular media. In China, soft power has become one of the most frequently used phrases among political leaders, leading academics, and journalists. Defined against hard power, which often involves threat and coercion, soft power applies attraction, persuasion, and cooperation, finding its sources in culture, political values, and foreign policies. Chin...

China’s inexorable rise as a major world power is one of the defining features of the contemporary political landscape. But should we heed the warnings of a so-called ‘China threat?’ Is China set to become the next superpower? Or will its ambitions be tempered by economic and political realities both at home and abroad?In this insightful and balanced analysis, noted China expert Stuart Harris explores China’s present foreign policy and its motivations, focusing in particular on the...

The field's leading text, now completely updated.Modeling dynamical systems — theory, methodology, and applications.Lennart Ljung's System Identification: Theory for the User is a complete, coherent description of the theory, methodology, and practice of System Identification. This completely revised Second Edition introduces subspace methods, methods that utilize frequency domain data, and general non-linear black box methods, including neural networks and neuro-f...

An introduction to statistical data mining, Data Analysis and Data Mining is both textbook and professional resource. Assuming only a basic knowledge of statistical reasoning, it presents core concepts in data mining and exploratory statistical models to students and professional statisticians-both those working in communications and those working in a technological or scientific capacity-who have a limited knowledge of data mining. This book presents key statistical concepts by w...

This is the only book actuaries need to understand generalized linear models (GLMs) for insurance applications. GLMs are used in the insurance industry to support critical decisions. Until now, no text has introduced GLMs in this context or addressed the problems specific to insurance data. Using insurance data sets, this practical, rigorous book treats GLMs, covers all standard exponential family distributions, extends the methodology to correlated data structures, and discusses recent de...

Modern analysis of HEP data needs advanced statistical tools to separate signal from background. This is the first book which focuses on machine learning techniques. It will be of interest to almost every high energy physicist, and, due to its coverage, suitable for students.

From 1998 to 2005, six elections took place in postcommunist Europe that had the surprising outcome of empowering the opposition and defeating authoritarian incumbents or their designated successors. Valerie J. Bunce and Sharon L. Wolchik compare these unexpected electoral breakthroughs. They draw three conclusions. First, the opposition was victorious because of the hard and creative work of a transnational network composed of local opposition and civil society groups, members of the inte...

This book presents basic ideas of machine learning in a way that is easy to understand, by providing hands-on practical advice, using simple examples, and motivating students with discussions of interesting applications. The main topics include Bayesian classifiers, nearest-neighbor classifiers, linear and polynomial classifiers, decision trees, neural networks, and support vector machines. Later chapters show how to combine these simple tools by way of “boosting,” how to exploit them in m...