Statistical Methods for Quality Improvement

STATISTICS IN PRACTICE A practical exploration of alternative approaches to analyzing water-related environmental issues Written by an experienced environmentalist and recognized expert in the field, this text is designed to help water resource managers and scientists to formulate, implement, and interpret more effective methods of water quality management. After presenting the basic foundation for using statistical methods in water resource management, including the use of appropriate hypothesis test procedures and some rapid calculation procedures, the author offers a range of practical problems and solutions on environmental topics that often arise, but are not generally covered. These include: * Formulating water quality standards * Determining compliance with standards * MPNs and microbiology * Water-related, human health risk modeling * Trends, impacts, concordance, and detection limits In order to promote awareness of alternative approaches to analyzing data, both frequentist and Bayesian, statistical methods are contrasted in terms of their applicability to various environmental issues. Each chapter ends with a number of set problems for which full answers are provided. The book also encourages discussion between technical staff and management before embarking on statistical studies.

The Wiley-Interscience Paperback Series consists of selected books that have been made more accessible to consumers in an effort to increase global appeal and general circulation. With these new unabridged softcover volumes, Wiley hopes to extend the lives of these works by making them available to future generations of statisticians, mathematicians, and scientists. «This book, it must be said, lives up to the words on its advertising cover: 'Bridging the gap between introductory, descriptive approaches and highly advanced theoretical treatises, it provides a practical, intermediate level discussion of a variety of forecasting tools, and explains how they relate to one another, both in theory and practice.' It does just that!» -Journal of the Royal Statistical Society «A well-written work that deals with statistical methods and models that can be used to produce short-term forecasts, this book has wide-ranging applications. It could be used in the context of a study of regression, forecasting, and time series analysis by PhD students; or to support a concentration in quantitative methods for MBA students; or as a work in applied statistics for advanced undergraduates.» -Choice Statistical Methods for Forecasting is a comprehensive, readable treatment of statistical methods and models used to produce short-term forecasts. The interconnections between the forecasting models and methods are thoroughly explained, and the gap between theory and practice is successfully bridged. Special topics are discussed, such as transfer function modeling; Kalman filtering; state space models; Bayesian forecasting; and methods for forecast evaluation, comparison, and control. The book provides time series, autocorrelation, and partial autocorrelation plots, as well as examples and exercises using real data. Statistical Methods for Forecasting serves as an outstanding textbook for advanced undergraduate and graduate courses in statistics, business, engineering, and the social sciences, as well as a working reference for professionals in business, industry, and government.

A guide to achieving business successes through statistical methods Statistical methods are a key ingredient in providing data-based guidance to research and development as well as to manufacturing. Understanding the concepts and specific steps involved in each statistical method is critical for achieving consistent and on-target performance. Written by a recognized educator in the field, Statistical Methods for Six Sigma: In R&D and Manufacturing is specifically geared to engineers, scientists, technical managers, and other technical professionals in industry. Emphasizing practical learning, applications, and performance improvement, Dr. Joglekar?s text shows today?s industry professionals how to: Summarize and interpret data to make decisions Determine the amount of data to collect Compare product and process designs Build equations relating inputs and outputs Establish specifications and validate processes Reduce risk and cost-of-process control Quantify and reduce economic loss due to variability Estimate process capability and plan process improvements Identify key causes and their contributions to variability Analyze and improve measurement systems This long-awaited guide for students and professionals in research, development, quality, and manufacturing does not presume any prior knowledge of statistics. It covers a large number of useful statistical methods compactly, in a language and depth necessary to make successful applications. Statistical methods in this book include: variance components analysis, variance transmission analysis, risk-based control charts, capability and performance indices, quality planning, regression analysis, comparative experiments, descriptive statistics, sample size determination, confidence intervals, tolerance intervals, and measurement systems analysis. The book also contains a wealth of case studies and examples, and features a unique test to evaluate the reader?s understanding of the subject.

Statistical data are not always precise numbers, or vectors, or categories. Real data are frequently what is called fuzzy. Examples where this fuzziness is obvious are quality of life data, environmental, biological, medical, sociological and economics data. Also the results of measurements can be best described by using fuzzy numbers and fuzzy vectors respectively. Statistical analysis methods have to be adapted for the analysis of fuzzy data. In this book, the foundations of the description of fuzzy data are explained, including methods on how to obtain the characterizing function of fuzzy measurement results. Furthermore, statistical methods are then generalized to the analysis of fuzzy data and fuzzy a-priori information. Key Features: Provides basic methods for the mathematical description of fuzzy data, as well as statistical methods that can be used to analyze fuzzy data. Describes methods of increasing importance with applications in areas such as environmental statistics and social science. Complements the theory with exercises and solutions and is illustrated throughout with diagrams and examples. Explores areas such quantitative description of data uncertainty and mathematical description of fuzzy data. This work is aimed at statisticians working with fuzzy logic, engineering statisticians, finance researchers, and environmental statisticians. It is written for readers who are familiar with elementary stochastic models and basic statistical methods.

Amstat News asked three review editors to rate their top five favorite books in the September 2003 issue. Statistical Methods for Reliability Data was among those chosen. Bringing statistical methods for reliability testing in line with the computer age This volume presents state-of-the-art, computer-based statistical methods for reliability data analysis and test planning for industrial products. Statistical Methods for Reliability Data updates and improves established techniques as it demonstrates how to apply the new graphical, numerical, or simulation-based methods to a broad range of models encountered in reliability data analysis. It includes methods for planning reliability studies and analyzing degradation data, simulation methods used to complement large-sample asymptotic theory, general likelihood-based methods of handling arbitrarily censored data and truncated data, and more. In this book, engineers and statisticians in industry and academia will find: A wealth of information and procedures developed to give products a competitive edge Simple examples of data analysis computed with the S-PLUS system-for which a suite of functions and commands is available over the Internet End-of-chapter, real-data exercise sets Hundreds of computer graphics illustrating data, results of analyses, and technical concepts An essential resource for practitioners involved in product reliability and design decisions, Statistical Methods for Reliability Data is also an excellent textbook for on-the-job training courses, and for university courses on applied reliability data analysis at the graduate level. An Instructor's Manual presenting detailed solutions to all the problems in the book is available upon requestfrom the Wiley editorial department.

A new edition of the most comprehensive overview of statistical methods for environmental monitoring applications Thoroughly updated to provide current research findings, Statistical Methods for Groundwater Monitoring, Second Edition continues to provide a comprehensive overview and accessible treatment of the statistical methods that are useful in the analysis of environmental data. This new edition expands focus on statistical comparison to regulatory standards that are a vital part of assessment, compliance, and corrective action monitoring in the environmental sciences. The book explores quantitative concepts useful for surface water monitoring as well as soil and air monitoring applications while also maintaining a focus on the analysis of groundwater monitoring data in order to detect environmental impacts from a variety of sources, such as industrial activity and waste disposal. The authors introduce the statistical properties of alternative approaches, such as false positive and false negative rates, that are associated with each test and the factors related to these error rates. The Second Edition also features: An introduction to Intra-laboratory Calibration Curves and random-effects regression models for non-constant measurement variability Coverage of statistical prediction limits for a gamma-distributed random variable, with a focus on estimation and testing of parameters in environmental monitoring applications A unified treatment of censored data with the computation of statistical prediction, tolerance, and control limits Expanded coverage of statistical issues related to laboratory practice, such as detection and quantitation limits An updated chapter on regulatory issues that outlines common mistakes to avoid in groundwater monitoring applications as well as an introduction to the newest regulations for both hazardous and municipal solid waste facilities Each chapter provides a general overview of a problem, followed by statistical derivation of the solution and a relevant example complete with computational details that allow readers to perform routine application of the statistical results. Relevant issues are highlighted throughout, and recommendations are also provided for specific problems based on characteristics such as number of monitoring wells, number of constituents, distributional form of measurements, and detection frequency. Statistical Methods for Groundwater Monitoring, Second Edition is an excellent supplement to courses on environmental statistics at the upper-undergraduate and graduate levels. It is also a valuable resource for researchers and practitioners in the fields of biostatistics, engineering, and the environmental sciences who work with statistical methods in their everyday work.

Praise for the Third Edition “. . . an easy-to read introduction to survival analysis which covers the major concepts and techniques of the subject.” —Statistics in Medical Research Updated and expanded to reflect the latest developments, Statistical Methods for Survival Data Analysis, Fourth Edition continues to deliver a comprehensive introduction to the most commonly-used methods for analyzing survival data. Authored by a uniquely well-qualified author team, the Fourth Edition is a critically acclaimed guide to statistical methods with applications in clinical trials, epidemiology, areas of business, and the social sciences. The book features many real-world examples to illustrate applications within these various fields, although special consideration is given to the study of survival data in biomedical sciences. Emphasizing the latest research and providing the most up-to-date information regarding software applications in the field, Statistical Methods for Survival Data Analysis, Fourth Edition also includes: Marginal and random effect models for analyzing correlated censored or uncensored data Multiple types of two-sample and K-sample comparison analysis Updated treatment of parametric methods for regression model fitting with a new focus on accelerated failure time models Expanded coverage of the Cox proportional hazards model Exercises at the end of each chapter to deepen knowledge of the presented material Statistical Methods for Survival Data Analysis is an ideal text for upper-undergraduate and graduate-level courses on survival data analysis. The book is also an excellent resource for biomedical investigators, statisticians, and epidemiologists, as well as researchers in every field in which the analysis of survival data plays a role.

This book is to be recommended as a standard shelf reference . . . and as a ‘must’ to be read by all who wish to better use and understand data involving dichotomous or dichotomizable measurements. —American Journal of Psychiatry In the two decades since the second edition of Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions was published, evolving technologies and new methodologies have significantly changed the way today’s statistics are viewed and handled. The explosive development of personal computing and statistical software has facilitated the sophisticated analysis of data, putting capabilities that were once the domain of specialists into the hands of every researcher. The Third Edition of this important text addresses these changes and brings the literature up to date. While the previous edition focused on the use of desktop and handheld calculators, the new edition takes full advantage of modern computing power without losing the elegant simplicity that made the text so popular with students and practitioners alike. In authoritative yet clear terminology, the authors have brought the science of data analysis up to date without compromising its accessibility. Features of the Third Edition include: New material on sample size calculations and issues in clinical trials, and entirely new chapters on single-sample data, logistic regression, Poisson regression, regression models for matched samples, the analysis of correlated binary data, and methods for analyzing fourfold tables with missing data The addition of many new problems, both numerical and theoretical Answer sections for numerical problems and hints for tackling the theoretical ones A frequentist approach enhanced by the inclusion of empirical Bayesian methodology where appropriate Combining the latest research with the original studies that established the previous editions as leaders in the field, Statistical Methods for Rates and Proportions, Third Edition will continue to be an invaluable resource for students, statisticians, biostatisticians, and epidemiologists.

Hospitals monitoring is becoming more complex and is increasing both because staff want their data analysed and because of increasing mandated surveillance. This book provides a suite of functions in R, enabling scientists and data analysts working in infection management and quality improvement departments in hospitals, to analyse their often non-independent data which is frequently in the form of trended, over-dispersed and sometimes auto-correlated time series; this is often difficult to analyse using standard office software. This book provides much-needed guidance on data analysis using R for the growing number of scientists in hospital departments who are responsible for producing reports, and who may have limited statistical expertise. This book explores data analysis using R and is aimed at scientists in hospital departments who are responsible for producing reports, and who are involved in improving safety. Professionals working in the healthcare quality and safety community will also find this book of interest Statistical Methods for Hospital Monitoring with R: Provides functions to perform quality improvement and infection management data analysis. Explores the characteristics of complex systems, such as self-organisation and emergent behaviour, along with their implications for such activities as root-cause analysis and the Pareto principle that seek few key causes of adverse events. Provides a summary of key non-statistical aspects of hospital safety and easy to use functions. Provides R scripts in an accompanying web site enabling analyses to be performed by the reader http://www.wiley.com/go/hospital_monitoring Covers issues that will be of increasing importance in the future, such as, generalised additive models, and complex systems, networks and power laws.