Modern survival analysis and more general event history analysis may be effectively handled within the mathematical framework of counting processes. This book presents this theory, which has been the subject of intense research activity over the past 15 years. The exposition of the theory is integrated with careful presentation of many practical examples, drawn almost exclusively from the authors'own experience, with detailed numerical and graphical illustrations. Although Statistical Models Based on Counting Processes may be viewed as a research monograph for mathematical statisticians and biostatisticians, almost all the methods are given in concrete detail for use in practice by other mathematically oriented researchers studying event histories (demographers, econometricians, epidemiologists, actuarial mathematicians, reliability engineers and biologists). Much of the material has so far only been available in the journal literature (if at all), and so a wide variety of researchers will find this an invaluable survey of the subject.

Modern survival analysis and more general event history analysis may be effectively handled within the mathematical framework of counting processes. This book presents this theory, which has been the subject of intense research activity over the past 15 years. The exposition of the theory is integrated with careful presentation of many practical examples, drawn almost exclusively from the authors'own experience, with detailed numerical and graphical illustrations. Although Statistical Models Based on Counting Processes may be viewed as a research monograph for mathematical statisticians and biostatisticians, almost all the methods are given in concrete detail for use in practice by other mathematically oriented researchers studying event histories (demographers, econometricians, epidemiologists, actuarial mathematicians, reliability engineers and biologists). Much of the material has so far only been available in the journal literature (if at all), and so a wide variety of researchers will find this an invaluable survey of the subject.

A first version of these lecture notes was prepared for a course given in 1980 at the University of Copenhagen to a class of graduate students in mathematical statistics. A thorough revision has led to the result presented here. The main topic of the notes is the theory of multiplicative intens ity models for counting processes, first introduced by Odd Aalen in his Ph.D. thesis from Berkeley 1975, and in a subsequent fundamental paper in the Annals of Statistics 1978. In Copenhagen the interest in statistics on counting processes was sparked by a visit by Odd Aalen in 1976. At present the activities here are centered around Niels Keiding and his group at the Statistical Re search Unit. The Aalen theory is a fine example of how advanced probability theory may be used to develop a povlerful, and for applications very re levant, statistical technique. Aalen's work relies quite heavily on the 'theorie generale des processus' developed primarily by the French school of probability the ory. But the general theory aims at much more general and profound re sults, than what is required to deal with objects of such a relatively simple structure as counting processes on the line. Since also this process theory is virtually inaccessible to non-probabilists, it would appear useful to have an account of what Aalen has done, that includes exactly the amount of probability required to deal satisfactorily and rigorously with statistical models for counting processes.

Control charts are widely used in industry to monitor processes that are far from Zero-Defect (ZD), and their use in a near Zero-Defect manufacturing environment poses many problems. This book presents techniques of using control charts for high-quality processes, and some recent findings and applications of statistical control chart techniques for ZD processes are presented. A powerful technique based on counting of the cumulative conforming (CCC) items between two nonconforming ones is discussed in detail. Extensions of the CCC chart are described, as well as applications of cumulative sum and exponentially weighted moving average techniques to CCC-related data, multivariate methods, economic design of control chart procedures, and modeling and analysis of trended but regularly adjusted processes. Many examples, charts, and procedures, are presented throughout the book, and references are provided for those interested in exploring the details. A number of questions and issues are posed for further investigations. Researchers and students may find many ideas in this book useful in their academic work, as a foundation is laid for the exploration of many further theoretical and practical issues.

Praise for the First Edition "An indispensable addition to any serious collection on lifetime data analysis and . . . a valuable contribution to the statistical literature. Highly recommended . . ." -Choice "This is an important book, which will appeal to statisticians working on survival analysis problems." -Biometrics "A thorough, unified treatment of statistical models and methods used in the analysis of lifetime data . . . this is a highly competent and agreeable statistical textbook." -Statistics in Medicine The statistical analysis of lifetime or response time data is a key tool in engineering, medicine, and many other scientific and technological areas. This book provides a unified treatment of the models and statistical methods used to analyze lifetime data. Equally useful as a reference for individuals interested in the analysis of lifetime data and as a text for advanced students, Statistical Models and Methods for Lifetime Data, Second Edition provides broad coverage of the area without concentrating on any single field of application. Extensive illustrations and examples drawn from engineering and the biomedical sciences provide readers with a clear understanding of key concepts. New and expanded coverage in this edition includes: * Observation schemes for lifetime data * Multiple failure modes * Counting process-martingale tools * Both special lifetime data and general optimization software * Mixture models * Treatment of interval-censored and truncated data * Multivariate lifetimes and event history models * Resampling and simulation methodology

The aim of this book is to bridge the gap between standard textbook models and a range of models where the dynamic structure of the data manifests itself fully. The common denominator of such models is stochastic processes. The authors show how counting processes, martingales, and stochastic integrals fit very nicely with censored data. Beginning with standard analyses such as Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox regression, the presentation progresses to the additive hazard model and recurrent event data. Stochastic processes are also used as natural models for individual frailty; they allow sensible interpretations of a number of surprising artifacts seen in population data. The stochastic process framework is naturally connected to causality. The authors show how dynamic path analyses can incorporate many modern causality ideas in a framework that takes the time aspect seriously. To make the material accessible to the reader, a large number of practical examples, mainly from medicine, are developed in detail. Stochastic processes are introduced in an intuitive and non-technical manner. The book is aimed at investigators who use event history methods and want a better understanding of the statistical concepts. It is suitable as a textbook for graduate courses in statistics and biostatistics.