Statistical Estimation of Epidemiological Risk

Statistical Applications for Environmental Analysis and Risk Assessment guides readers through real-world situations and the best statistical methods used to determine the nature and extent of the problem, evaluate the potential human health and ecological risks, and design and implement remedial systems as necessary. Featuring numerous worked examples using actual data and “ready-made” software scripts, Statistical Applications for Environmental Analysis and Risk Assessment also includes: • Descriptions of basic statistical concepts and principles in an informal style that does not presume prior familiarity with the subject • Detailed illustrations of statistical applications in the environmental and related water resources fields using real-world data in the contexts that would typically be encountered by practitioners • Software scripts using the high-powered statistical software system, R, and supplemented by USEPA’s ProUCL and USDOE’s VSP software packages, which are all freely available • Coverage of frequent data sample issues such as non-detects, outliers, skewness, sustained and cyclical trend that habitually plague environmental data samples • Clear demonstrations of the crucial, but often overlooked, role of statistics in environmental sampling design and subsequent exposure risk assessment.

A valuable reference for understanding operational risk Operational Risk with Excel and VBA is a practical guide that only discusses statistical methods that have been shown to work in an operational risk management context. It brings together a wide variety of statistical methods and models that have proven their worth, and contains a concise treatment of the topic. This book provides readers with clear explanations, relevant information, and comprehensive examples of statistical methods for operational risk management in the real world. Nigel Da Costa Lewis (Stamford, CT) is president and CEO of StatMetrics, a quantitative research boutique. He received his PhD from Cambridge University.

Corporate Boards: Managers of Risk, Sources of Risk deals with the highly timely topic of the Corporate Board and its relationship to risk, both in terms of its management and its creation. Utilizes a multi-disciplinary perspective which draws on the fields of economics, law, business ethics, and corporate social responsibility Features a range of topics including the role of corporate boards in overseeing increasingly complex risk management techniques and the ethical dimensions of corporate board behavior in managing risk Of interest to students, scholars, and firm stakeholders Explores how recent events have also shown that the members of Corporate Boards can be sources of risk

Epidemiological Criminology: A Public Health Approach to Crime and Violence Epidemiological Criminology offers an introduction to the sources and methods of epidemiological criminology and shows how to apply these methods to some of the most vexing problems now confronting researchers and practitioners in public health epidemiology, criminology, and criminal justice. The book describes, explains, and applies the newly formulated practice of epidemiological criminology, an emerging discipline that finds the intersection across theories, methods, and statistical models of public health with their corresponding tools of criminal justice and criminology. The authors show how to apply epidemiological criminology as a practical tool to address population issues of violence and crime nationally and globally. In addition, they look at future directions and the application of this emerging field in corrections, public health and law, gangs and gang violence, victimology, mental health and substance abuse, environmental justice, international human rights, and global terrorism. For students, the book presents an exciting approach to understanding epidemiology as a means with which to tackle some of the worst problems for vulnerable populations. For researchers and policymakers, the book offers a new methodological perspective that recognizes the significance of social disparities and the built environment as factors in the formulation of public health policy, and provides a tool with which to produce more effective interventions, preventive measures, and policy formulations.

We all face risks in a variety of ways, as individuals, businesses and societies. The discipline of risk assessment and risk management is growing rapidly and there is an enormous drive for the implementation of risk assessment methods and risk management in organizations. There are great expectations that these tools provide suitable frameworks for obtaining high levels of performance and balance different concerns such as safety and costs. The analysis and management of risk are not straightforward. There are many challenges. The risk discipline is young and there area a number of ideas, perspectives and conceptions of risk out there. For example many analysts and researchers consider it appropriate to base their risk management policies on the use of expected values, which basically means that potential losses are multiplied with their associated consequences. However, the rationale for such a policy is questionable. A number of such common conceptions of risk are examined in the book, related to the risk concept, risk assessments, uncertainty analyses, risk perception, the precautionary principle, risk management and decision making under uncertainty. The Author discusses these concepts, their strenghts and weaknesses, and concludes that they are often better judged as misconceptions of risk than conceptions of risk. Key Features: Discusses common conceptions of risk with supporting examples. Provides recommendations and guidance to risk analysis and risk management. Relevant for all types of applications, including engineering and business. Presents the Author’s overall conclusions on the issues addressed throughout the book. All those working with risk-related problems need to understand the fundamental ideas and concepts of risk. Professionals in the field of risk, as well as researchers and graduate sutdents will benefit from this book. Policy makers and business people will also find this book of interest.

We all face risks in a variety of ways, as individuals, businesses and societies. The discipline of risk assessment and risk management is growing rapidly and there is an enormous drive for the implementation of risk assessment methods and risk management in organizations. There are great expectations that these tools provide suitable frameworks for obtaining high levels of performance and balance different concerns such as safety and costs. The analysis and management of risk are not straightforward. There are many challenges. The risk discipline is young and there area a number of ideas, perspectives and conceptions of risk out there. For example many analysts and researchers consider it appropriate to base their risk management policies on the use of expected values, which basically means that potential losses are multiplied with their associated consequences. However, the rationale for such a policy is questionable. A number of such common conceptions of risk are examined in the book, related to the risk concept, risk assessments, uncertainty analyses, risk perception, the precautionary principle, risk management and decision making under uncertainty. The Author discusses these concepts, their strenghts and weaknesses, and concludes that they are often better judged as misconceptions of risk than conceptions of risk. Key Features: Discusses common conceptions of risk with supporting examples. Provides recommendations and guidance to risk analysis and risk management. Relevant for all types of applications, including engineering and business. Presents the Author’s overall conclusions on the issues addressed throughout the book. All those working with risk-related problems need to understand the fundamental ideas and concepts of risk. Professionals in the field of risk, as well as researchers and graduate sutdents will benefit from this book. Policy makers and business people will also find this book of interest.

Modelling and Estimation of Damage in Structures is a comprehensiveguide to solving the type of modelling and estimation problems associated with the physics of structural damage. Provides a model-based approach to damage identification Presents an in-depth treatment of probability theory and random processes Covers both theory and algorithms for implementing maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimation approaches Includes experimental examples of all detection and identification approaches Provides a clear means by which acquired data can be used to make decisions regarding maintenance and usage of a structure

Praise for the First Edition: «For a beginner [this book] is a treasure trove; for an experienced person it can provide new ideas on how better to pursue the subject of applied statistics.» —Journal of Quality Technology Sensibly organized for quick reference, Statistical Rules of Thumb, Second Edition compiles simple rules that are widely applicable, robust, and elegant, and each captures key statistical concepts. This unique guide to the use of statistics for designing, conducting, and analyzing research studies illustrates real-world statistical applications through examples from fields such as public health and environmental studies. Along with an insightful discussion of the reasoning behind every technique, this easy-to-use handbook also conveys the various possibilities statisticians must think of when designing and conducting a study or analyzing its data. Each chapter presents clearly defined rules related to inference, covariation, experimental design, consultation, and data representation, and each rule is organized and discussed under five succinct headings: introduction; statement and illustration of the rule; the derivation of the rule; a concluding discussion; and exploration of the concept's extensions. The author also introduces new rules of thumb for topics such as sample size for ratio analysis, absolute and relative risk, ANCOVA cautions, and dichotomization of continuous variables. Additional features of the Second Edition include: Additional rules on Bayesian topics New chapters on observational studies and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Additional emphasis on variation and causation Updated material with new references, examples, and sources A related Web site provides a rich learning environment and contains additional rules, presentations by the author, and a message board where readers can share their own strategies and discoveries. Statistical Rules of Thumb, Second Edition is an ideal supplementary book for courses in experimental design and survey research methods at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It also serves as an indispensable reference for statisticians, researchers, consultants, and scientists who would like to develop an understanding of the statistical foundations of their research efforts. A related website www.vanbelle.org provides additional rules, author presentations and more.

Written for graduate or advanced students as well as for professionals in physics and chemistry, this book includes the fundamental concepts of statistical physics and physical kinetics. These concepts relate to a wide range of physical objects, such as liquids and solids, gases and plasmas, clusters and systems of complex molecules. The book analyzes various structures of many-particle systems, such as crystal structures, lamellar structures, fractal aggregates and fractal structures, while comparing different methods of description for certain systems and phenomena. Developed from a lecture course on statistical physics and kinetic theory of various atomic systems, the text provides a maximum number of concepts in the simplest way, based on simple problems and using various methods.

A guide to the systematic analytical results for ridge, LASSO, preliminary test, and Stein-type estimators with applications Theory of Ridge Regression Estimation with Applications offers a comprehensive guide to the theory and methods of estimation. Ridge regression and LASSO are at the center of all penalty estimators in a range of standard models that are used in many applied statistical analyses. Written by noted experts in the field, the book contains a thorough introduction to penalty and shrinkage estimation and explores the role that ridge, LASSO, and logistic regression play in the computer intensive area of neural network and big data analysis. Designed to be accessible, the book presents detailed coverage of the basic terminology related to various models such as the location and simple linear models, normal and rank theory-based ridge, LASSO, preliminary test and Stein-type estimators.The authors also include problem sets to enhance learning. This book is a volume in the Wiley Series in Probability and Statistics series that provides essential and invaluable reading for all statisticians. This important resource: Offers theoretical coverage and computer-intensive applications of the procedures presented Contains solutions and alternate methods for prediction accuracy and selecting model procedures Presents the first book to focus on ridge regression and unifies past research with current methodology Uses R throughout the text and includes a companion website containing convenient data sets Written for graduate students, practitioners, and researchers in various fields of science, Theory of Ridge Regression Estimation with Applications is an authoritative guide to the theory and methodology of statistical estimation.