Mathematics Research Center Symposium: Scientific Inference, Data Analysis, and Robustness focuses on the philosophy of statistical modeling, including model robust inference and analysis of data sets. The selection first elaborates on pivotal inference and the conditional view of robustness and some philosophies of inference and modeling, including ideas on modeling, significance testing, and scientific discovery. The book then ponders on parametric empirical Bayes confidence intervals, ecumenism in statistics, and frequency properties of Bayes rules. Discussions focus on consistency of Bayes rules, scientific method and the human brain, and statistical estimation and criticism. The book takes a look at the purposes and limitations of data analysis, likelihood, shape, and adaptive inference, statistical inference and measurement of entropy, and the robustness of a hierarchical model for multinomials and contingency tables. Topics include numerical results for contingency tables and robustness, multinomials, flattening constants, and mixed Dirichlet priors, entropy and likelihood, and test as measurement of entropy. The selection is a valuable reference for researchers interested in robust inference and analysis of data sets.

Introduction to Data Science: Data Analysis and Prediction Algorithms with R introduces concepts and skills that can help you tackle real-world data analysis challenges. It covers concepts from probability, statistical inference, linear regression, and machine learning. It also helps you develop skills such as R programming, data wrangling, data visualization, predictive algorithm building, file organization with UNIX/Linux shell, version control with Git and GitHub, and reproducible document preparation. This book is a textbook for a first course in data science. No previous knowledge of R is necessary, although some experience with programming may be helpful. The book is divided into six parts: R, data visualization, statistics with R, data wrangling, machine learning, and productivity tools. Each part has several chapters meant to be presented as one lecture. The author uses motivating case studies that realistically mimic a data scientist’s experience. He starts by asking specific questions and answers these through data analysis so concepts are learned as a means to answering the questions. Examples of the case studies included are: US murder rates by state, self-reported student heights, trends in world health and economics, the impact of vaccines on infectious disease rates, the financial crisis of 2007-2008, election forecasting, building a baseball team, image processing of hand-written digits, and movie recommendation systems. The statistical concepts used to answer the case study questions are only briefly introduced, so complementing with a probability and statistics textbook is highly recommended for in-depth understanding of these concepts. If you read and understand the chapters and complete the exercises, you will be prepared to learn the more advanced concepts and skills needed to become an expert.

An introduction to the theory and methods of robust statistics, providing students with practical methods for carrying out robust procedures in a variety of statistical contexts and explaining the advantages of these procedures. In addition, the text develops techniques and concepts likely to be useful in the future analysis of new statistical models and procedures. Emphasizing the concepts of breakdown point and influence functon of an estimator, it demonstrates the technique of expressing an estimator as a descriptive measure from which its influence function can be derived and then used to explore the efficiency and robustness properties of the estimator. Mathematical techniques are complemented by computational algorithms and Minitab macros for finding bootstrap and influence function estimates of standard errors of the estimators, robust confidence intervals, robust regression estimates and their standard errors. Includes examples and problems.

Unlock today's statistical controversies and irreproducible results by viewing statistics as probing and controlling errors.

Research in Bayesian analysis and statistical decision theory is rapidly expanding and diversifying, making it increasingly more difficult for any single researcher to stay up to date on all current research frontiers. This book provides a review of current research challenges and opportunities. While the book can not exhaustively cover all current research areas, it does include some exemplary discussion of most research frontiers. Topics include objective Bayesian inference, shrinkage estimation and other decision based estimation, model selection and testing, nonparametric Bayes, the interface of Bayesian and frequentist inference, data mining and machine learning, methods for categorical and spatio-temporal data analysis and posterior simulation methods. Several major application areas are covered: computer models, Bayesian clinical trial design, epidemiology, phylogenetics, bioinformatics, climate modeling and applications in political science, finance and marketing. As a review of current research in Bayesian analysis the book presents a balance between theory and applications. The lack of a clear demarcation between theoretical and applied research is a reflection of the highly interdisciplinary and often applied nature of research in Bayesian statistics. The book is intended as an update for researchers in Bayesian statistics, including non-statisticians who make use of Bayesian inference to address substantive research questions in other fields. It would also be useful for graduate students and research scholars in statistics or biostatistics who wish to acquaint themselves with current research frontiers.

Mounting failures of replication in social and biological sciences give a new urgency to critically appraising proposed reforms. This book pulls back the cover on disagreements between experts charged with restoring integrity to science. It denies two pervasive views of the role of probability in inference: to assign degrees of belief, and to control error rates in a long run. If statistical consumers are unaware of assumptions behind rival evidence reforms, they can't scrutinize the consequences that affect them (in personalized medicine, psychology, etc.). The book sets sail with a simple tool: if little has been done to rule out flaws in inferring a claim, then it has not passed a severe test. Many methods advocated by data experts do not stand up to severe scrutiny and are in tension with successful strategies for blocking or accounting for cherry picking and selective reporting. Through a series of excursions and exhibits, the philosophy and history of inductive inference come alive. Philosophical tools are put to work to solve problems about science and pseudoscience, induction and falsification.