David Oakes

This book provides an accessible but rigorous introduction to asymptotic theory in parametric statistical models. Asymptotic results for estimation and testing are derived using the “moving alternative” formulation due to R. A. Fisher and L. Le Cam. Later chapters include discussions of linear rank statistics and of chi-squared tests for contingency table analysis, including situations where parameters are estimated from the complete ungrouped data. This book is based on lecture notes prepared by the first author, subsequently edited, expanded and updated by the second author. Key features:Succinct account of the concept of “asymptotic linearity” and its usesSimplified derivations of the major results, under an assumption of joint asymptotic normalityInclusion of numerical illustrations, practical examples and adviceHighlighting some unexpected consequences of the theoryLarge number of exercises, many with hints to solutionsSome facility with linear algebra and with real analysis including ‘epsilon-delta’ arguments is required. Concepts and results from measure theory are explained when used. Familiarity with undergraduate probability and statistics including basic concepts of estimation and hypothesis testing is necessary, and experience with applying these concepts to data analysis would be very helpful.

The organisation of policing arrangements for all royal visits to the beautiful English county of North Yorkshire became a primary task for a young, newly promoted Police Inspector. Thrown in at the deep end and having little knowledge of royalty, he faced a formidable challenge. Readers will learn, just as he did, of the Royal Family's work and of history and the support structures which surround it. Additionally, they will understand why and how royal visits occur and simultaneously experience the unexpected and hilarious happenings, and the joy and despair, which arose from his unique and intimate association with them.

The writers of Gothic literature reflect in their works the concerns and fears of the times in which they were created. These fears, in turn, destabilize the reader; that is, they create within the reader a sense of uneasiness characteristic of the Gothic genre, an uneasiness that comes from the challenging of social and cultural conventions or cherished beliefs. In doing so, these works are also cultural artifacts, for they reflect issues central to society at a given point in time. This book examines the process of destabilization in the modern American Gothic. The volume focuses on the works of three popular 20th-century Gothic writers: H. P. Lovecraft, Richard Matheson, and Stephen King. It argues that science and technology are central to the destabilization process in works by these authors, and it demonstrates how, as cultural artifacts, their writings reflect the fears and concerns of contemporary society. Thus the volume demonstrates how the works of these authors remain within the Gothic literary tradition, while they simultaneously adapt that tradition for a modern audience.

This monograph contains many ideas on the analysis of survival data to present a comprehensive account of the field. The value of survival analysis is not confined to medical statistics, where the benefit of the analysis of data on such factors as life expectancy and duration of periods of freedom from symptoms of a disease as related to a treatment applied individual histories and so on, is obvious. The techniques also find important applications in industrial life testing and a range of subjects from physics to econometrics. In the eleven chapters of the book the methods and applications of are discussed and illustrated by examples.