Perspectives in Biometrics

Perspectives in Biometrics is a collection of articles that deals with the state of active and important research area in the field of biometrics, as well as the methodological aspects of particular biometrical data analyses. The book reviews the statistical analysis of a large data base by using interactive computing and data analysis facilities as shown in the Albany Heart Study. One paper presents a survey of adaptive sampling techniques used in clinical trials, while another discusses computer-aided prognosis that can be useful in predicting the survival rate after the diagnosis and treatment of a serious disease. Another paper explains the use and interpretation of multivariate methods used in classifying the different stages encountered in infectious diseases of the critically ill. For example, the data bank in the Clinical Research Center—Acute is analyzed for a set of measurements that are then inputted in a computer base for later retrieval. The book also discusses "nonparametric estimation" that concerns estimates of distribution densities and cumulatives, as well as the use of "percentile points" to obtain decision rules in parametrization problems. The text can prove valuable for statisticians, students, and professors of calculus and advanced mathematics.