Related papers: On a chi^2-function with previously estimated back…
It is generally known that counting statistics is not correctly described by a Gaussian approximation. Nevertheless, in neutron scattering, it is common practice to apply this approximation to the counting statistics; also at low counting…
The assumption that a parametric class of functions fits the data structure sufficiently well is common in fitting curves and surfaces to regression data. One then derives a parameter estimate resulting from a least squares fit, say, and in…
Monte Carlo methods to evaluate and maximize the likelihood function enable the construction of confidence intervals and hypothesis tests, facilitating scientific investigation using models for which the likelihood function is intractable.…
We show how to obtain a Bayesian estimate of the rates or numbers of signal and background events from a set of events when the shapes of the signal and background distributions are known, can be estimated, or approximated; our method works…
We introduce an optimization technique to discriminate signal and background in any phenomeno- logical study based on the cut and count-based method. The core ideas behind this technique are the introduction of a ranking scheme that can…
A suggestion is made for improving the Feldman Cousins method of estimating signal counts in the presence of background. The method concentrates on finding essential information about the signal and ignoring extraneous information about…
Functional data analysis is typically conducted within the $L^2$-Hilbert space framework. There is by now a fully developed statistical toolbox allowing for the principled application of the functional data machinery to real-world problems,…
It has been demonstrated that the MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm is fast, stable, and effective for localizing small anomalies in microwave imaging. For the successful application of MUSIC, exact values of permittivity,…
A new test statistic based on success runs of weighted deviations is introduced. Its use for observations sampled from independent normal distributions is worked out in detail. It supplements the classic $\chi^{2}$ test which ignores the…
This paper is concerned with the problem of conditional independence testing for discrete data. In recent years, researchers have shed new light on this fundamental problem, emphasizing finite-sample optimality. The non-asymptotic viewpoint…
Statistical hypothesis testing serves as statistical evidence for scientific innovation. However, if the reported results are intentionally biased, hypothesis testing no longer controls the rate of false discovery. In particular, we study…
Least-squares fits are an important tool in many data analysis applications. In this paper, we review theoretical results, which are relevant for their application to data from counting experiments. Using a simple example, we illustrate the…
We describe a method for fitting distributions to data which only requires knowledge of the parametric form of either the signal or the background but not both. The unknown distribution is fit using a non-parametric kernel density…
There are several assumptions made in a standard $\chi^2$ analysis of data, including the frequent assumption that the likelihood function is well approximated by a multivariate Gaussian distribution. This article briefly reviews the…
A technique for background prediction using data, but maintaining a closed signal box is described. The result is extended to two background sources. Conditions on the applicability under correlated cuts are described. This technique is…
Thousands of experiments are analyzed and papers are published each year involving the statistical analysis of grouped data. While this area of statistics is often perceived -- somewhat naively -- as saturated, several misconceptions still…
Accurate simulation of complex physical systems enables the development, testing, and certification of control strategies before they are deployed into the real systems. As simulators become more advanced, the analytical tractability of the…
This article introduces a new connected component labeling and analysis algorithm for foreground and background labeling that computes the adjacency tree. The computation of features (bounding boxes, first statistical moments, Euler number)…
One of the distinguishing features of quantum theory is that its measurement outcomes are usually unpredictable or, equivalently, random. Moreover, this randomness is certifiable with minimal assumptions in the so-called device-independent…
For decades researchers have studied the On/Off counting problem, where a measured rate consists of two parts. One due to a signal process and another due to a background process, of which both magnitudes are unknown. While most frequentist…