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Three related scenarios are presented for which the probability of an event appears to be larger than each of its mutually exclusive and exhaustive conditional probabilities. While the scenarios are structurally different and each has its own specific explanation, they illustrate the importance of an underlying principle that is sometimes overlooked in statistical analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is an obituary for Calyampudi Radhakrishna Rao, a renowned statistician who passed away in 2023. The article highlights two early works by Rao, "Anthropometric Survey of the United Provinces, 1941: A Statistical Study" and "The Ancient Inhabitants of Jebel Moya," and discusses their relevance to modern data science. The first study analyzed anthropometric measurements of Indians living in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, providing detailed information and making it both replicable and reproducible. The second study focused on the remains found at the Jebel Moya archaeological site in Sudan, using statistical analysis to challenge previous interpretations about race. These examples demonstrate the importance of replicability, reproducibility, and incorporating data context in data science. [Extracted from the article]

This article is based on the Deming Lecture presented at the 2018 Joint Statistical Meetings and reconsiders the "14 Points" on management that were developed by W. Edwards Deming and suggests that these points reflect fundamental concepts and principles that can offer important insights for the statistical community as it responds to these opportunities and challenges related to improvement of the quality, integrity, and societal value of statistical information. The concepts un-derlying Deming's 14 Points can provide a useful lens for considering a wide range of management opportunities and challenges that arise in many complex organizations, especially those that produce or use statistical information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past two decades have witnessed a great change in the statistics community, as we have become more inclusive and appreciative of different types and areas of research. Interdisciplinary research, including statistical climatology, has developed rapidly in such a background. The Institute for Mathematical and Statistical Innovation (IMSI), funded by the National Science Foundation, is managed by the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, the University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and is hosted at the University of Chicago. IMSI launched in fall 2020 with a mission "to apply rigorous mathematics and statistics to urgent scientific and societal problems, and to spur transformational change in the mathematical sciences." This article describes the work of IMSI and gives our perspective on the future of the field of statistical climatology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increasing recognition of the impacts and growing costs due to climate change, there is a growing demand for actionable assessments of climate risk from business, industry, and governments. The assessment of climate risk is at the heart of climate risk analytics, and these assessments can be used in a variety of use cases. This article explores the use cases such as the impact of extreme weather events and regulatory response and disclosure. The paper also explores the critical impact of the statistical sciences on climate analytics as a growing field and discusses the opportunities for statisticians and data scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have been looking up at the stars for millennia, trying to figure out our place in space, making small steps out and sending probes out even further. We are space travelers and, for the foreseeable future, Earth is our "mother ship." To sustain our voyage through space, we need to look out for stressors, overheating and, particularly, new energy sources for our ship. We need to monitor its integrity, repair components that are broken, and establish long-term maintenance protocols. That is, mitigation is needed at scale, and we need to plan and action it now! We have scientific knowledge about different parts of the ship with differing degrees of certainty, but the message is clear that it is in peril from overheating. Unfortunately, there are many captains to report to, with different priorities. While they demur, deflect, and disagree, Earth is rapidly approaching a waypoint where mitigation will not be enough, and adaptation for a fast-changing climate will be part of our future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readability analysis combines statistical modeling, theoretical linguistics, and psychological theory to determine the accessibility level of writing samples. This study has a long history and broad impact, yet typically uses extremely simple statistical tools (in particular linear regressions). This article briefly reviews key stages in the history of readability, and discusses present issues and potential future benefits these tools offer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics continuing to grow in enrollment and its importance as an optional course in high school, we aimed to understand more about the practices in this course. From a survey of 445 AP Statistics teachers, and interviews with 18 volunteers, we offer insight into the teachers of this course, what their classrooms look like, and the aspects of statistics that are emphasized in their curriculum and instruction. Results can assist those in the statistics education community who work with AP Statistics teachers on a local, regional, or national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The editorial letter from the journal "Chance" announces the publication of a special theme issue on human trafficking. The issue includes four articles that discuss various aspects of human trafficking, such as research strategies, estimation methods, and sampling approaches. The articles were presented at a forum organized by the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) and feature speakers from different universities and organizations. The letter also mentions three general-topic articles and four columns covering topics such as ethical decision-making, data visualization, the history of statistics, and book reviews. The journal encourages readers to explore the issue and consider submitting their own articles for future publications. [Extracted from the article]

One thing about statistics we might consider is the rhetoric of a commonplace phrase, "let the data speak for themselves." The absurd implication of "letting the data speak for themselves" is that a data-producing author or speaker or perhaps you, the data-receiving audience, are getting in the way of data. Admitting that statisticians use rhetoric, and must, is no defect; it's an advantage. Discovering and probing the rhetoric of statistics is not a shameful act. We are no less scientific for understanding that the data don't speak for themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data-driven decision making for sustainable development requires domain expertise to ask the right questions; high-quality, relevant data; appropriate, nuanced statistical analyses; and the power to make and implement a decision. Statistics enables and accelerates all of these aspects. We propose a new model for building statistics and data science capacity to engage in data-driven development. Statisticians and data scientists must be able to understand the data and projects they are working with on both a deep and broad level and be able to communicate the results of statistical methods and analytical work in ways that provide actionable evidence to those who can use it to positively impact society. Our model for building statistics and data science capacity is to create statistics and data science collaboration laboratories ("stat labs") that work in the intersections of data-driven development by collaborating with data producers and data decision makers to transform evidence into action. We present lessons learned from the LISA 2020 Network, which has leveraged the collective experiences of more than 30 newly created stat labs in developing countries to build such statistics and data science capacity by focusing on the intersections of data-driven development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing access to non-designed data sources, surveys continue to be an important tool for studying difficult-to-reach populations. In this article, I share highlights from two Statistics without Borders projects where surveys were used to study remote or vulnerable populations. Each project addressed a different part of the survey lifecycle: the design phase versus the analysis phase. These examples illustrate concepts from survey statistics and show how we, as statisticians, can support the mission of organizations who are using surveys to make a positive difference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note provides descriptive statistics on the Constitutional Court of South Africa's (the Court) work in the year 2019. The objectives and methods of this annual set of statistics are more fully laid out in the 1995 edition and subsequent editions of the South African Journal on Human Rights. Section 2 of this note covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment, while section 3 covers applications that were considered in chambers and were dismissed without a judgment being given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shortly after my retirement, I became involved in local water issues and learned that I could be of especial use in work on those issues because of my background in statistics. What I am reporting here is a minimally-technical account of the experience I had using statistics as a forensic tool to unearth what appears to have been a misuse of statistics in the modeling of the environmental impact of a proposed desalination project to provide water for the community where I reside. Of potential interest to statisticians is how statistics can be useful in detective work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note provides descriptive statistics on the work of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (the Court) in 2018, organised in a number of tables. The method of constructing each table is given in the text that follows it. The objectives and methods of this annual set of statistics are more fully laid out in the 1995 edition and subsequent editions of the South African Journal on Human Rights. " Judgments delivered" section covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment while "Applications dismissed in chambers" section covers applications that were considered in chambers and dismissed without a judgment being given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative measures have become a cornerstone in social knowledge formation and policy-making. They have also been criticized as forms of epistemic authority that close off debate, serve elite interests, and empower states and markets over the people. Such concerns are well-founded. This article, however, argues that a participatory and epistemically chastened approach to measurement development and dissemination can make the world legible without falling into depoliticizing assertions of undemocratic authority. Through a critical reading of the history, theory, and methodology of the indicator and indexing movement, the article argues that statistics can serve as a democratic pedagogy that empowers citizens to understand and transform large and complex political realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first century BC, the Roman poet Lucretius wrote, "you are bound to admit that in other parts of the universe there are other worlds inhabited by many different peoples and species of wild beasts." One effective method for discovering exoplanets detects changes in the velocity of the star toward and away from Earth as the planet orbits the star. I did identify several thousand larger planets - most Kepler discoveries are super-Earth-size planets with orbital periods between two and 100 days - but hopes were foiled for the smaller planets. The autoregressive planet search method outlined here can be developed further to improve the census of small planets, increasing sensitivity and reducing false alarms and false positives. [Extracted from the article]

This note provides descriptive statistics on the work of the Constitutional Court of South Africa in 2017, organised in a number of tables. The method of constructing each table is given in the text that follows it. The objectives and methods of this annual set of statistics are more fully laid out in the 1995 and subsequent editions of the SAJHR. Section 2 covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment, while Section 3 covers applications that were considered in chambers and dismissed without a judgment being given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the heading of "research misconduct", the National Institutes of Health defines "falsification" as "manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes, or changing or omitting data or results such that the research is not accurately represented in the research record." The falsification was uncovered by Finnish fitness blogger Olli Haataja, and then Alexey Guzey added it to his long list of errors in that book (Guzey. [Extracted from the article]

Graph B Cynthia Rudin b is a professor of Computer Science, Electrical, and Computer Engineering, and Statistical Science at Duke University, where she directs the Prediction Analysis Lab. I think a turning point in my career was when I was working on the power grid in New York City - trying to maintain it with machine learning - and realized that more-powerful machine learning approaches weren't helping. [Extracted from the article]

This note provides descriptive statistics on the work of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (the Court) in 2016, organised in a number of tables. The method of constructing each table is given in the text that follows it. The objectives and methods of this annual set of statistics are more fully laid out in the 1995 edition and subsequent editions of the SAJHR. Part I covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment while Part II covers applications that were considered in chambers and dismissed without a judgment being given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This note provides descriptive statistics on the work of the Constitutional Court of South Africa (the Court) in 2015, organised in a number of tables. The method of constructing each table is given in the text that follows it. The objectives and methods of this annual set of statistics are more fully laid out in the 1995 edition and subsequent editions of the SAJHR. Part I covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment while Part II covers applications that were considered in chambers and dismissed without a judgment being given. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

An interview with Dr. Geert Molenberghs, professor of biostatistics at the Universiteit Hasselt and KU Leuven in Belgium, is presented. Topics covered include when and how Molenberghs first became aware of statistics as a discipline, the reason why he became a statistician working mainly in medical research, and the skills and qualifications that are most important for a statistician working in medical research.

This note provides descriptive statistics on the work of the Constitutional Court of South Africa in 2013, organised in a number of tables. Part I covers those decisions in which the Court produced a written judgment while Part II covers applications that were considered in chambers and dismissed without a judgment being given. The purpose of the Constitutional Court statistics is to shed light on issues such as voting patterns on the bench, the nature of cases heard by the Court, government success rates in Constitutional Court litigation, how cases are reaching the Court, and how long it is taking the Court to deliver its judgments. The statistics also provide some insight into the applications that are not being heard by the Court, which are otherwise not open to public scrutiny. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A personal narrative is presented which explores the author's experience of embarking on a speaking tour of area high schools to talk to juniors and seniors and see if he could spark their interest in careers in statistics and data science by communicating the quality of life and abundant opportunities available in the field.

The article discusses efforts of the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) to bring together the mathematical sciences communities to help facilitate mathematical modeling in the K-12 arena embracing all aspects of modeling including mathematical, statistical and science-/physics-based. It notes that SIAM has been the driving force behind the initiative Modeling Across the Curriculum (MaC) which includes multiple disciplines like the full K-12 and college experience.

The article discusses the correlation between death and causal inference, and delves into explaining the statistical aspects with the help of an example where causal effects of a coronary bypass surgery is studied using a mathematical model. Topics include response of subjects in randomized trials, measurement of quality of life, and the use of Rubin's model in the analysis.

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article "A Curveball Index: Quantification of Breaking Balls for Pitchers" by Jason Wilson and Jarvis Greiner.

The article offers the author's insights about being a statistician. The author offers his response to the claim of his friend Henry Braun that statistician is some who is pretty good with numbers but has not got the personality to be an accountant. He also tackles the comprehensive 1986 paper of Paul Holland on statistics and casual inference.

The article discusses the gender gap in mathematics. The author talks about the success of Maryam Mirzakhani to be the first woman to ever win the Fields Medal, known as the Nobel Prize of mathematics, in recognition of her contributions to the understanding of the symmetry of curved surfaces. Also tackled is details about the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Information about the talks of four women statistician at the 2014 Women in Statistics Conference is presented. The four women were Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) deputy director Snehalata Huzurbazar, former SAMSI graduate fellow Jessi Cisewski, SAMSI post-doctoral fellow Bailey Fosdick, and former National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) postdoctoral fellow Xia Wang. They tackled the wide range of opportunities for involvement at the institutes.

The article offers the author's insights about the areas that helps women successful in making contribution in science. The author talks about her reflection characteristics of those women who have been tremendously successful in their contributions to statistics and science. She also tackles the decision of some women to pursue their careers after marriage and having children.

An interview with Statistics Collaborative Inc. founder and president Janet Wittes is presented. When asked about the reason why she became a statistician, Wittes refers to her experience as biochemist. She talks about her decision to go into biostatistic. She also shares the things she does after graduate school.

The article discusses the replication crisis in applied statistics in which studies published in top scientific journals are unable to reproduce published claims. Topics covered include the Excel error of economists Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff, the 2008 book "Red State Blue State," and social factors that were predictive of the sex of children.

The article discusses why students should learn data analysis in a reproducible framework. It illustrates the use of R Markdown, based on the open source statistical programming language R, which allows transparent, reproducible data analysis to be integrated with written interpretation while avoiding the shortcomings of the copy-and-paste paradigm. It talks about iterative data analysis, use of markdown transparency in reporting, and streamlining collaborative workflow.

The article proposes a substitute for computing the wins above replacement (WAR) statistic for a more accurate method of baseball player assessment. It discusses the use of sabermetrics, or the statistical analysis of baseball and describes WAR as a comprehensive assessment of a player's contribution to his team, measured in wins added relative to a hypothetical replacement player. It offers an overview of modelling, outlines problems in computing WAR and proposes how it should be interpreted.

The article discusses the use of statistics and the R package XML statistical analysis tool to evaluate whether Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios can be a tennis champion. It analyzes statistics including aces, double faults, and fastest serve, for the matches of the first two rounds of the 2014 Wimbledon tournament, scraped from the web site www.wimbledon.com. It presents a comparative table on statistics for top players Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Kyrgios.

The article describes the case of Estonian Olympic Gold Medalist Andrus Veerpalu who tested positive for human growth hormone (hGH), was barred from competition by the International Ski Federation (FIS), and was acquitted by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). It cites faulty use of statistics in interpreting doping results as the reason for the CAS decision. It talks about the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), scientific issues in doping tests, and validity of the hGH Isoform Ratio Test.

The article discusses the use of data analysis in predicting initial romantic attraction in the opposite sex. It offers information on data used which was acquired in the speed dating experiments performed in the years 2002-2004 at Columbia University. Also discussed are the introductory statistics which include quantitative and categorical variables, multiple regression and logistic regression, and complex data structure as an advantage.

An interview with Jim Berger, Arts and Sciences Professor of Statistics at Duke University, is presented. When asked about the objective Bayesian approach, he replied that the methodology should be developed and made available in default software. He offers his opinion on whether subjective and objective Bayesian approaches can be converged, how students can be exposed to Bayesian approaches, and whether it is difficult to write introductory statistics using Bayesian methodology.

The article focuses on scientific ethics which is considered as the central role of statistics in recognizing and communicating uncertainty. A report published in the "Economist" which contemplates if science was self-correcting and focusing on failures to replicate is mentioned. An analogy comparing a research paper to a mortgage is discussed.

The article describes how a simple statistical analysis played an important role in exposing the Ontario lottery retailer scandal. It notes that the issue became the frontpage news in Canada and has led to numerous consequences including legislative debate, the firing of two chief executive officers, and payouts totaling more than 20 million dollars.

An interview with statistician Stephen E. Fienberg is presented. He talked about the textbook "Beginning Statistics," which he co-authored with Fred Mosteller and Robert Rourke. He also tackled opening up the statistics profession to collaborations on big data and data science and its implications for training of a new generation of statisticians. Fienberg also described how he got involved in data privacy and confidentiality research.