We propose a stochastic model for the analysis of time series of disease counts as collected in typical surveillance systems on notifiable infectious diseases. The model is based on a Poisson or negative binomial observation model with two components: A parameter-driven component relates the...

A framework for the statistical analysis of counts from infectious disease surveillance database is proposed. In its simplest form, the model can be seen as a Poisson branching process model with immigration. Extensions to include seasonal effects, time trends and overdispersion are outlined....

LImited Memory Influence Diagrams (LIMIDs) are general models of decision problems for representing limited memory policies (Lauritzen and Nilsson (2001)). The evaluation of LIMIDs can be done by Single Policy Updating that produces a local maximum strategy in which no single policy modification...

Dependence modelling and estimation is a key issue in the assessment of portfolio risk. When measuring extreme risk in terms of the Value-at-Risk, the multivariate normal model with linear correlation as its natural dependence measure is by no means an ideal model. We suggest a large class of...

The large increase in computer use has raised the question whether people have to be taught computer skills before entering the labour market. Using data from the 1997 Skills Survey of the Employed British Workforce, we argue that neither the increase in computer use nor the fact that...

The p-value quantifies the discrepancy between the data and a null hypothesis of interest, usually the assumption of no difference or no effect. A Bayesian approach allows the calibration of p-values by transforming them to direct measures of the evidence against the null hypothesis, so-called...