Applied statistics: A review

The main phases of applied statistical work are discussed in general terms. The account starts with the clarification of objectives and proceeds through study design, measurement and analysis to interpretation. An attempt is made to extract some general notions.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/07-AOAS113 in the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Factors affecting the ratio of currency demand to total monetary assets in Malta

There are a number of factors influencing individuals` and firms decisions to hold currency rather than other forms of monetary assets. An important motive is to buy consumer goods and services in the case of individuals, and to pay wages and salaries and other short term business expenses in the case of firms. This can be loosely be called the “transactions” motive. Another reason, loosely termed here as the “asset” motive, is related to changes in the rate of interest. In macroeconomic theory, we also encounter the “speculative” motive which is related to expected, rather than actual changes in interest rates. Another reason, which is of some importance in the Maltese economy, is to conceal economic activity for tax evasion. Thus underground activity covers production which is not, but should be, included in the computation of GDP. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model which associates currency demand with the underground economy and which quantitatively estimates the elasticities associated with currency demand. An attempt will be made also to estimate the size off the underground economy in Malta.peer-reviewe

Fractional exclusion statistics applied to relativistic nuclear matter

The effect of statistics of the quasiparticles in the nuclear matter at extreme conditions of density and temperature is evaluated in the relativistic mean-field model generalized to the framework of the fractional exclusion statistics (FES). In the model, the nucleons are described as quasiparticles obeying FES and the model parameters were chosen to reproduce the ground state properties of the isospin-symmetric nuclear matter. In this case, the statistics of the quasiparticles is related to the strengths of the nucleon-nucleon interaction mediated by the neutral scalar and vector meson fields. The relevant thermodynamic quantities were calculated as functions of the nucleons density, temperature and fractional exclusion statistics parameter $\alpha$. It has been shown that at high temperatures and densities the thermodynamics of the system has a strong dependence on the statistics of the particles. The scenario in which the nucleon-nucleon interaction strength is independent of the statistics of particles was also calculated, but it leads in general to unstable thermodynamics.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figure

Comment: The Need for Syncretism in Applied Statistics

Comment on "The Need for Syncretism in Applied Statistics" [arXiv:1012.1161]Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/10-STS308A the Statistical Science (http://www.imstat.org/sts/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

Resampling technique applied to statistics of microsegregation characterization

Characterization of chemical heterogeneities at the dendrite scale is of practical importance for understanding phase transformation either during solidification or during subsequent solid-state treatment. Spot analysis with electron probe is definitely well-suited to investigate such heterogeneities at the micron scale that is relevant for most solidified products. However, very few has been done about the statistics of experimental solute distributions gained from such analyses when they are now more and more used for validating simulation data. There are two main sources generating discrepancies between estimated and actual solute distributions in an alloy: i) data sampling with a limited number of measurements to keep analysis within a reasonable time length; and ii) uncertainty linked to the measurement process, namely the physical noise that accompanies X-ray emission. Focusing on the first of these sources, a few 2-D composition images have been generated by phase field modelling of a Mg-Al alloy. These images were then used to obtain "true" solute distributions to which to compare coarse grid analyses as generally performed with a microanalyser. Resampling, i.e. generating several distributions by grid analyses with limited number of picked-up values, was then used to get statistics of estimates of solute distribution. The discussion of the present results deals first with estimating the average solute content and then focuses on the distribution in the primary phase

Statistical Literacy Among Applied Linguists and Second Language Acquisition Researchers

The importance of statistical knowledge in applied linguistics and second language acquisition (SLA) research has been emphasized in recent publications. However, the last investigation of the statistical literacy of applied linguists occurred more than 25 years ago (Lazaraton, Riggenbach, & Ediger, 1987). The current study undertook a partial replication of this older work by investigating (a) applied linguists’ general experiences with statistics, (b) underlying factors that constitute applied linguists’ knowledge about and attitudes toward statistics, and (c) variables that predict attitudes toward statistics and statistical self-efficacy. Three hundred thirty-one scholars of applied linguistics and SLA completed a questionnaire. Eighty percent had taken a statistics class; however, only 14% of doctoral students and 30% of professors felt that their statistical training was adequate. A factor analysis of participants’ knowledge of statistical terms revealed three factors: common inferential statistics knowledge, advanced statistics knowledge, and basic descriptive statistics knowledge. An analysis of participants’ attitudes toward statistics revealed two factors: statistics are important and lack of statistical confidence. Regression analyses found that a quantitative research orientation was the strongest predictor of positive attitudes toward statistics; nevertheless, participants also expressed support for qualitative research. Recommendations for improving quantitative methods in our field are made based on our findings

Correction: A correlated topic model of Science

Correction to Annals of Applied Statistics 1 (2007) 17--35 [doi:10.1214/07-AOAS114]Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/07-AOAS136 the Annals of Applied Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aoas/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org