The prominence of finite mixture modelling is greater than ever. Many important statistical topics like clustering data, outlier treatment, or dealing with unobserved heterogeneity involve finite mixture models in some way or other. The area of potential applications goes beyond simple data analysis and extends to regression analysis and to non-linear time series analysis using Markov switching models.For more than the hundred years since Karl Pearson showed in 1894 how to estimate the five parameters of a mixture of two normal distributions using the method of moments, statistical inference for finite mixture models has been a challenge to everybody who deals with them. In the past ten years, very powerful computational tools emerged for dealing with these models which combine a Bayesian approach with recent Monte simulation techniques based on Markov chains. This book reviews these techniques and covers the most recent advances in the field, among them bridge sampling techniques and reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. It is the first time that the Bayesian perspective of finite mixture modelling is systematically presented in book form. and is easily implemented in practice. Although the main focus is on Bayesian inference, the author reviews several frequentist techniques, especially selecting the number of components of a finite mixture model, and discusses some of their shortcomings compared to the Bayesian approach. The aim of this book is to impart the finite mixture and Markov switching approach to statistical modelling to a wide-ranging community. This includes not only statisticians, but also biologists, economists, engineers, financial agents, market researcher, medical researchers or any other frequent user of statistical models. This book should help newcomers to the field to understand how finite mixture and Markov switching models are formulated, what structures they imply on the data, what they could be used for, and how they are estimated. Researchers familiar with the subject also will profit from reading this book. The presentation is rather informal without abandoning mathematical correctness. Previous notions of Bayesian inference and Monte Carlo simulation are useful but not needed.

Mixture models have been around for over 150 years, and they are found in many branches of statistical modelling, as a versatile and multifaceted tool. They can be applied to a wide range of data: univariate or multivariate, continuous or categorical, cross-sectional, time series, networks, and much more. Mixture analysis is a very active research topic in statistics and machine learning, with new developments in methodology and applications taking place all the time. The Handbook of Mixture Analysis is a very timely publication, presenting a broad overview of the methods and applications of this important field of research. It covers a wide array of topics, including the EM algorithm, Bayesian mixture models, model-based clustering, high-dimensional data, hidden Markov models, and applications in finance, genomics, and astronomy. Features: Provides a comprehensive overview of the methods and applications of mixture modelling and analysis Divided into three parts: Foundations and Methods; Mixture Modelling and Extensions; and Selected Applications Contains many worked examples using real data, together with computational implementation, to illustrate the methods described Includes contributions from the leading researchers in the field The Handbook of Mixture Analysis is targeted at graduate students and young researchers new to the field. It will also be an important reference for anyone working in this field, whether they are developing new methodology, or applying the models to real scientific problems.

The Second Bayesian Young Statisticians Meeting (BAYSM 2014) and the research presented here facilitate connections among researchers using Bayesian Statistics by providing a forum for the development and exchange of ideas. WU Vienna University of Business and Economics hosted BAYSM 2014 from September 18th to the 19th. The guidance of renowned plenary lecturers and senior discussants is a critical part of the meeting and this volume, which follows publication of contributions from BAYSM 2013. The meeting's scientific program reflected the variety of fields in which Bayesian methods are currently employed or could be introduced in the future. Three brilliant keynote lectures by Chris Holmes (University of Oxford), Christian Robert (Universite Paris-Dauphine), and Mike West (Duke University), were complemented by 24 plenary talks covering the major topics Dynamic Models, Applications, Bayesian Nonparametrics, Biostatistics, Bayesian Methods in Economics, and Models and Methods, as well as a lively poster session with 30 contributions. Selected contributions have been drawn from the conference for this book. All contributions in this volume are peer-reviewed and share original research in Bayesian computation, application, and theory.

WINNER OF THE 2007 DEGROOT PRIZE

The prominence of finite mixture modelling is greater than ever. Many important statistical topics like clustering data, outlier treatment, or dealing with unobserved heterogeneity involve finite mixture models in some way or other. The area of potential applications goes beyond simple data analysis and extends to regression analysis and to non-linear time series analysis using Markov switching models.

For more than the hundred years since Karl Pearson showed in 1894 how to estimate the five parameters of a mixture of two normal distributions using the method of moments, statistical inference for finite mixture models has been a challenge to everybody who deals with them. In the past ten years, very powerful computational tools emerged for dealing with these models which combine a Bayesian approach with recent Monte simulation techniques based on Markov chains. This book reviews these techniques and covers the most recent advances in the field, among them bridge sampling techniques and reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo methods.

It is the first time that the Bayesian perspective of finite mixture modelling is systematically presented in book form. It is argued that the Bayesian approach provides much insight in this context and is easily implemented in practice. Although the main focus is on Bayesian inference, the author reviews several frequentist techniques, especially selecting the number of components of a finite mixture model, and discusses some of their shortcomings compared to the Bayesian approach.

The aim of this book is to impart the finite mixture and Markov switching approach to statistical modelling to a wide-ranging community. This includes not only statisticians, but also biologists, economists, engineers, financial agents, market researcher, medical researchers or any other frequent user of statistical models. This book should help newcomers to the field to understand how finite mixture and Markov switching models are formulated, what structures they imply on the data, what they could be used for, and how they are estimated. Researchers familiar with the subject also will profit from reading this book. The presentation is rather informal without abandoning mathematical correctness. Previous notions of Bayesian inference and Monte Carlo simulation are useful but not needed.

Mixture models have been around for over 150 years, and they are found in many branches of statistical modelling, as a versatile and multifaceted tool. They can be applied to a wide range of data: univariate or multivariate, continuous or categorical, cross-sectional, time series, networks, and much more. Mixture analysis is a very active research topic in statistics and machine learning, with new developments in methodology and applications taking place all the time. The Handbook of Mixture Analysis is a very timely publication, presenting a broad overview of the methods and applications of this important field of research. It covers a wide array of topics, including the EM algorithm, Bayesian mixture models, model-based clustering, high-dimensional data, hidden Markov models, and applications in finance, genomics, and astronomy. Features: Provides a comprehensive overview of the methods and applications of mixture modelling and analysis Divided into three parts: Foundations and Methods; Mixture Modelling and Extensions; and Selected Applications Contains many worked examples using real data, together with computational implementation, to illustrate the methods described Includes contributions from the leading researchers in the field The Handbook of Mixture Analysis is targeted at graduate students and young researchers new to the field. It will also be an important reference for anyone working in this field, whether they are developing new methodology, or applying the models to real scientific problems.