This volume contains the papers from the Sixth Eugene Lukacs Symposium on ''Multidimensional Statistical Analysis and Random Matrices'', which was held at the Bowling Green State University, Ohio, USA, 29--30 March 1996. Multidimensional statistical analysis and random matrices have been the topics of great research. The papers presented in this volume discuss many varied aspects of this all-encompassing topic. In particular, topics covered include generalized statistical analysis, elliptically contoured distribution, covariance structure analysis, metric scaling, detection of outliers, density approximation, and circulant and band random matrices.

Approach your problems from the right end It isn't !hat they can't see the solution. It is and begin with the answers. Then one day, that they can't see the problem. perhaps you will find the final question. G. K. Chesterton. The Scandal 0/ Fa/her 'The Hermit Oad in Crane Feathers' in R. Brown 'The point of a Pin'. van GuJik's The Chinese Maze Murders. Growing specialization and diversification have brought a host of monographs and textbooks on increasingly specialized topics. However, the "tree" of knowledge of mathematics and related fie1ds does not grow only by putting forth new branches. It also happens, quite often in fact, that branches which were thought to be completely disparate are suddenly seen to be related. Further, the kind and level of sophistication of mathematics applied in various sciences has changed drastically in recent years: measure theory is used (non-trivially) in regional and theoretical economics; algebraic geometry interacts with physics; the Minkowsky lemma, coding theory and the structure of water meet one another in packing and covering theory; quantum fields, crystal defects and mathematical programming profit from homotopy theory; Lie algebras are relevant to filtering; and prediction and electrical engineering can use Stein spaces. And in addition to this there are such new emerging subdisciplines as "experimental mathematics", "CFD", "complete1y integrable systems", "chaos, synergetics and large-scale order", which are almost impossible to fit into the existing c1assification schemes. They draw upon wide1y different sections of mathematics.

The three decades which have followed the publication of Heinz Neudecker's seminal paper `Some Theorems on Matrix Differentiation with Special Reference to Kronecker Products' in the Journal of the American Statistical Association (1969) have witnessed the growing influence of matrix analysis in many scientific disciplines. Amongst these are the disciplines to which Neudecker has contributed directly - namely econometrics, economics, psychometrics and multivariate analysis. This book aims to illustrate how powerful the tools of matrix analysis have become as weapons in the statistician's armoury. The majority of its chapters are concerned primarily with theoretical innovations, but all of them have applications in view, and some of them contain extensive illustrations of the applied techniques. This book will provide research workers and graduate students with a cross-section of innovative work in the fields of matrix methods and multivariate statistical analysis. It should be of interest to students and practitioners in a wide range of subjects which rely upon modern methods of statistical analysis. The contributors to the book are themselves practitioners of a wide range of subjects including econometrics, psychometrics, educational statistics, computation methods and electrical engineering, but they find a common ground in the methods which are represented in the book. It is envisaged that the book will serve as an important work of reference and as a source of inspiration for some years to come.