Statistical Computing Software Reviews

This section is similar in organization to a Book Review section in other journals; however, software of interest to statisticians is the subject of review here. Emphasis is on software for microcomputers. Programs that operate only in larger mainframe computers will seldom receive review. Normally, producers of programs make a copy of their product available to the Section Editor, who then selects one or more persons to test the product and prepare a review.

Producers of computer software who wish to have their product reviewed are invited to contact the Section Editor, Professor Kenneth Berk, Department of Mathematics, 313 Stevenson Hall, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61761.

Findings and opinions expressed in every review are solely those of the author. They should not be construed as reflecting endorsement of the product, or opinions held, by the American Statistical Association, nor is any warranty implied about any product reviewed.

STAN, Version II.0. David M. Allen. Available from Statistical Consultants, Inc., 462 E. High Street, Lexington, KY 40508. $300. Reviewed by Peter A. Lachenbruch     

Correspondence Analysis in Statistical Package Programs

BMDP, Version 7.0: Available from BMDP, Statistical Software, Inc., 12121 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90025; phone: 310-207-8800; fax: 310-207-8844. $695.

NCSS, Version 5.3: Available from NCSS, Attn: Dr. Jerry Hintze, 329 N. 1000 East, Kaysville, UT 84037; phone: 801-546-0445; fax: 801-546-3907. $295.

SAS, Version 6.07: Available from SAS Institute, Inc., SASA Campus Drive, Cary, NC 27513; phone: 919-677-8200; fax: 919-677-8123. $2525 (first year); $1175 (renewal).

SPSS, Version 6.0: Available from SPSS Inc., 444 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611; phone: 800-543-5831; fax: 800-841-0064. $1190.     

Statistical Computing Software Reviews

RATS. Thomas A. Doan and Robert B. Litterman. Available from VAR Econometrics, Inc., P.O. Box 19334, Minneapolis, MN 55419. Large memory version $300; small memory version $200; multiple copy discounts available.

SPSS/PC+ Available from SPSS Inc., 444 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 3000, Chicago, IL 60611. SPSS/PC +, $795; SPSS/PC + Tables, $295; SPSS/PC+ Advanced Statistics, $295.     

Computer Algebra Systems: DERIVE®

Seeing Through Statistics.; Jessica M. Utts. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1996. xvi + 464 pp. $40.95. Reviewed by Sheila O'Leary Weaver

Statistics and Data Analysis, 2nd ed.; Andrew F. Siegel and Charles J. Morgan. New York: John Wiley, 1996. xiv + 635 pp. $68.95. Reviewed by Jennifer Hoeting

Statistics Principles and Methods (3rd ed.).; Richard A. Johnson and Gouri K. Bhattacharyya. New York: John Wiley, 1996. xv + 720 pp. $70.95. Reviewed by Linda C. Malone

Engineering Statistics: The Industrial Experience.; Bernard Ostle, Kenneth V. Turner, Jr., Charles R. Hicks, and Gayle W. Mcelrath. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1996. xiv + 568 pp. $62.95. Reviewed by Anne M. Dougherty

Introductory Statistics.; Sheldon M. ROSS. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. 807 pp. $63.59. Reviewed by Youn-Min Chou

Workshop Statistics.; Allan J. ROSSMAN. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1996. xx + 452 pp. $26.95. Reviewed by Jonathan D. Cryer

Exploring Probability and Statistics with Spreadsheets.; J. T. Callender and R. Jackson. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 19xx. viii + 236 pp. $36.00. Reviewed by K. L. D. Gunawardena

NCSS (6.0.21 for Windows); Available from NCSS Statistical Software, 329 North 1000 East, Kaysville, UT 84037. For five or more student copies the cost is $25 for each set of software disks and $30 for each set of manuals. Reviewed by Michael Nabel

DASL—The Data and Story Library; This collection of datasets and stories designed for use in statistics courses is available on the Internet at http://www.stat.cmu.edu/DASL/. Reviewed by Jeffrey A. Witmer

StatLib: An Archive for Statistical Software, Datasets, and Information: StatLib is a system for distributing statistical software, datasets, and information by electronic mail, FTP, gopher, and WWW Although StatLib is not primarily intended as a resource for teachers, much of its contents are of interest when teaching statistics. StatLib is free and available via the Internet. Reviewed by Charles Kooperberg     

Book Reviews

A First Course in Probability Models and Statistical Inference. J.H.C. Creighton. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1994. xxxi + 717 pp. $49.95. Reviewed by Bruce Kino

Statistical Methods: An Introductory Text. J. Mehdi. New Delhi: Wiley Eastern Limited, 1992, xii + 438 pp. $37.97. Reviewed by William D. Warde

Regression Analysis—Concepts and Applications. Franklin A. Graybill and Hariharan K. Iyer. Florence, KY: Wadsworth Inc., 1994, 701 pp. $59.95. Reviewed by Larry Winner     

Reviews of Books and Teaching Materials

Understanding Basic Statistics. Charles H. Brase and Corrinne P. Brase. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997. xviii + 576 pp. $48.50. ISBN: 0-669-39812-8. Reviewed by Elizabeth Low

Statistics for Management, 7th ed. Richard I. Levin and David S. Rubin. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1998. xvi + 1026 pp. $77.00. ISBN: 0-13-476-2924. Reviewed by Tom Obremski

Statistical Computing Environments for Social Research. Robert Stine and John Fox (eds.). Thousand Oaks: Sage, 1997. iv + 250 pp. $49.95 (P). ISBN: 0-7619-0270-8. Reviewed by Jonathan Nagler

Modern Engineering Statistics. Lawrence L. Lapin. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1997. xv + 583 pp. $66.95. ISBN 0-534-50883-9. Reviewed by V.A. Samaranayake, Jagdish K. Patel

Elements of Engineering Probability and Statistic. Rodger E. Ziemer. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 1997. xiv + 322 pp. $77.00. ISBN: 0-024-31620-2. Reviewed by V.A. Samaranayake, Jagdish K. Patel

Applied Statistical Methods for Business, Economics, and the Social Sciences. William L. Carlson and Betty Thorne. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1997. xxiii + 1021 pp. $77.00. ISBN 0-13-570847-8. Reviewed by Marjorie E. Bond

Statistics for Managers: Using Microsoft Excel. D.M. Levine, M.L. Berenson, and D. Stephan. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Reviewed by Marjorie E. Bond

The Ultimate Resource 2. Julian L. Simon. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1996. xlii + 734 pp. $35.00. ISBN: 0-69104-269-1. Reviewed by Thomas Wonnacott     

Meta-Analysis Software: A Comparative Review

DSTAT, Version 1.10: Available from Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc., 10 Industrial Ave., Mahwah, NJ 07430-2262; phone: 800-926-6579

TRUE EPISTAT, Version 4.0: Available from Epistat Services, 2011 Cap Rock Circle, Richardson, TX 75080; phone: 214-680-1376; fax: 214-680-1303.

FAST*PRO, Version 1.0: Available from Academic Press, Inc., 955 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139; phone: 800-321-5068; fax: 800-336-7377.

Meta-analysts conduct studies in which the responses are analytic summary measurements, such as risk differences, effect sizes, p values, or z statistics, obtained from a series of independent studies. The motivation for conducting a meta-analysis is to integrate research findings over studies in order to summarize the evidence about treatment efficacy or risk factors. This article presents a comparative review of three meta-analytic software packages: DSTAT, TRUE EPISTAT, and FAST*PRO.     

Medical Statistics at the Medical School of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

PowerPack (Version 2.22) Russell V. Lenth. 3061 Hastings Avenue, Iowa City, Iowa 52245; (319) 337–8549. Bitnet: Blarvlpd @ Uiamvs. $195; 50% educational discount. Reviewed by Ralph G. O'Brien

Nwa Statpak (Version 4.1) Northwest Analytical Inc. 520 N.W. Davis Street, Portland, Oregon 97209; (503) 224–7727. $495; discounts for academic users and multiple-copy users. Reviewed by Barbara L. Mann     

Book Reviews

Modern Business Statistics. George C. Canavos and Don M. Miller. New York: Duxbury Press, 1995. xxiv + 952 pp. + 3.5″ Disk. $58.95. Reviewed by Nancy Jo Delaney

Elementary Statistics Laboratory Manual (MS-DOS Version).: John D. Spurrier, Don Edwards, and Lori A. Thombs. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1995. $19.95. Reviewed by Bradley A. Hartlaub

Introduction to Probability and Statistics (9th ed.). William Mendenhall and Robert J. Beaver. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1994. xv + 704 pp. $55.95. Reviewed by Katherine Taylor Halvorsen

Environmental Statistics and Data Analysis. Wayne R. Ott. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, Inc., 1995. xi + 313 pp. $69.95. Reviewed by Virginia M. Lesser

Statistical Data Analysis for Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences. H. Jean Thiébaux. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1994. xv + 247 pp. + 3.5″ DOS Diskette. $74.95. Reviewed by Andrew R. Solow     

Reviews of Books and Teaching Materials

Workshop Statistics: Discovery with Data and Minitab. Allan J. ROSSMAN and Beth L. CHANCE. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1998, xxviii + 486 pp. $39.95 (P).

Data Analysis with Microsoft Excel. Kenneth N. BERK and Patrick CAREY. Pacific Grove, CA: Duxbury, 1998, xxi + 503 pp. $29.95 (P), ISBN: 0-534-52929-1.

Statistical Laboratory Exercises Using Excel: A Guide to Understanding Data. Tania PRVAN and Peter PETOCZ. Brisbane: Jacaranda Wiley, 1998, vi + 57 pp., $15.95 (P + 1 disc), ISBN: 0-471-34050-2. Reviewed by Richard Cleary

Data, Statistics, and Decision Models with Excel. Donald L. HARNETT and James E. HORRELL. New York: Wiley, 1998, xviii + 605, $93.95, ISBN: 0-471-13398-1. Reviewed by Sue B. Schou

Maple V© Student Version: Release 5. Waterloo Maple, Inc., New York: Springer-Verlag, 1998, $99.

Statistics with Stata 5. Lawrence C. HAMILTON. Pacific Grove, CA: Duxbury, 1998, x + 325 pp. $34.95, ISBN: 0-534-26559-6. Reviewed by Richard Goldstein     

Editor's Notes

Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Teaching Statistics Editor David Vere-Jones; assistants: Shelley Carlyle and Brian P. Dawkins. Published by the International Statistical Institute. Available from ISI Permanent Office, 428 Prinses Beatrixlaan, P.O. Box 950, 2270 AZ Voor-burg, The Netherlands. $38 (U.S.), including postage and handling. Reviewed by Elliot A. Tanis     

Reviews of Books and Teaching Materials

ActivStats 2.0.: Paul Velleman. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1998, CD-ROM, $44.25, ISBN: 0-201-31068-6.

The Active Practice of Statistics.: David S. Moore. New York: W. H. Freeman & Co., 1997, xv + 352 pp., $49.95, ISBN: ISBN 0-7167-3140-1. Reviewed by Jon Maatta

Introduction to Statistical Reasoning.: Gary Smith. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1998, xviii + 654 pp., $46.00, ISBN: 0-07-059276-4. Reviewed by Robert W. Hayden

Modern Applied Statistics with S-Plus (2nd ed.).: William N. Venables and Brian D. Ripley. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1997, xvii + 548 pp., $59.95, ISBN: 0-387-98214-0. Reviewed by Karen Kafadar James R. Koehler

A Course in Mathematical Statistics (2nd ed.): George C. Roussas. San Diego: Academic Press, 1997, xx + 572 pp., $59.95, ISBN: 0125993153. Reviewed by David W. Macky     

Accent on Teaching Materials

This department includes the two sections New Developments in Statistical Computing and Statistical Computing Software Reviews; suitable contents for each of these sections are described under the respective section heading. Articles submitted for the department, outside the two sections, should not be highly technical and should be relevant to the teaching or practice of statistical computing.

An unbiased estimator of e is used to motivate a simple simulation exercise that requires only observations from the distribution uniform on (0, 1). Antithetic variables are introduced and applied to the simulation problem to give a second unbiased estimator of e with reduced variance.     

The S-system computation of non-central gamma distribution

The non-central gamma distribution can be regarded as a general form of non-central χ² distributions whose computations were thoroughly investigated (Ruben, H., 1974, Non-central chi-square and gamma revisited. Communications in Statistics, 3(7), 607–633; Knüsel, L., 1986, Computation of the chi-square and Poisson distribution. SIAM Journal on Scientific and Statistical Computing, 7, 1022–1036; Voit, E.O. and Rust, P.F., 1987, Noncentral chi-square distributions computed by S-system differential equations. Proceedings of the Statistical Computing Section, ASA, pp. 118–121; Rust, P.F. and Voit, E.O., 1990, Statistical densities, cumulatives, quantiles, and power obtained by S-systems differential equations. Journal of the American Statistical Association, 85, 572–578; Chattamvelli, R., 1994, Another derivation of two algorithms for the noncentral χ² and F distributions. Journal of Statistical Computation and Simulation, 49, 207–214; Johnson, N.J., Kotz, S. and Balakrishnan, N., 1995, Continuous Univariate Distributions, Vol. 2 (2nd edn) (New York: Wiley). Both distributional function forms are usually in terms of weighted infinite series of the central one. The ad hoc approximations to cumulative probabilities of non-central gamma were extended or discussed by Chattamvelli, Knüsel and Bablok (Knüsel, L. and Bablok, B., 1996, Computation of the noncentral gamma distribution. SIAM Journal on Scientific Computing, 17, 1224–1231), and Ruben (Ruben, H., 1974, Non-central chi-square and gamma revisited. Communications in Statistics, 3(7), 607–633). However, they did not implement and demonstrate proposed numerical procedures. Approximations to non-central densities and quantiles are not available. In addition, its S-system formulation has not been derived. Here, approximations to cumulative probabilities, density, and quantiles based on the method of Knüsel and Bablok are derived and implemented in R codes. Furthermore, two alternate S-system forms are recast on the basis of techniques of Savageau and Voit (Savageau, M.A. and Voit, E.O., 1987, Recasting nonlinear differential equations as S-systems: A canonical nonlinear form. Mathematical Biosciences, 87, 83–115) as well as Chen (Chen, Z.-Y., 2003, Computing the distribution of the squared sample multiple correlation coefficient with S-Systems. Communications in Statistics—Simulation and Computation, 32(3), 873–898.) and Chen and Chou (Chen, Z.-Y. and Chou, Y.-C., 2000, Computing the noncentral beta distribution with S-system. Computational Statistics and Data Analysis, 33, 343–360.). Statistical densities, cumulative probabilities, quantiles can be evaluated by only one numerical solver power low analysis and simulation (PLAS). With the newly derived S-systems of non-central gamma, the specialized non-central χ² distributions are demonstrated under five cases in the same three situations studied by Rust and Voit. Both numerical values in pairs are almost equal. Based on these, nine cases in three similar situations are designed for demonstration and evaluation. In addition, exact values in finite significant digits are provided for comparison. Demonstrations are conducted by R package and PLAS solver in the same PC system. By doing these, very accurate and consistent numerical results are obtained by three methods in two groups. On the other hand, these three methods are performed competitively with respect to speed of computation. Numerical advantages of S-systems over the ad hoc approximation and related properties are also discussed.     

Reviews of Books and Teaching Materials

Statistics: A Bayesian Perspective; Donald A. Berry. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1996. x + 518 pp. $62.95. Reviewed by Paul J. Smith

Statistics: Theory and Methods (2nd ed.).; Donald A. Berry and Bernard W. Lindgren. Belmont, CA: Duxbury Press, 1996. xi + 702 pp. $76.95. Reviewed by Uwe Koehn

Statistics for Management.; B. J. Mandel and Robert E. Laessig. Baltimore, MD: Dangary Publishing, 1996. xii + 538 pp. $49.50 (H). Reviewed by Lynne B. Hare

Statistical Methods, Revised Edition.; R. J. Freund and W. J. Wilson. San Diego, CA: Academic Press, 1997. xxi + 684 pp. $52.50. Reviewed by Linda Barrett

Statistics from Scratch. An Introduction for Health Care Professionals.; David Bowers. New York: Wiley, 1996. 180 pp. $19.95 (P). Reviewed by David McCormick

Statistical Tests: An Introduction with MINITAB Commentary.; G. P. Beaumont and J. D. Knowles. London, England: Prentice Hall International (UK) Limited, 1996. ix + 285 pp. $38.00. Reviewed by Ralph F. Frankowski

Principles of Statistical Data Handling.; Fred Davidson. Newbury Park, CA: Sage, 1996. xii + 319 pp. $23.50. Reviewed by John F. Monahan

Reference Manual on Scientific Evidence.; Federal Judicial Center. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1994. vii + 637 pp. $32.00. Reviewed by Joseph L. Gastwirth     

A Graphical Display of Large Correlation Matrices

This department includes the two sections New Development in Statistical Computing and Statistical Computing Software Reviews; suitable contents for each of these sections are described under the respective section heading. Articles submitted for the department, outside the two sections, should not be highly technical and should be relevant to the teaching or practice of statistical computing.

Large correlation matrices are hard to look at. In this article we present correlations as elliptical glyphs for a simple intuitive display of large matrices.     

Reviews and Notes

Abstract

The Standard of Living Among Workingmen's Families in New York City. By Robert Coit Chapin, Ph.D., Professor of Economics in Beloit College. Russell Sage Foundation Publication, 1909. (New York: Charities Publication Committee, 105 East Twenty-Second Street, pp. xv., 372, $2.00, postpaid.) Reviewed by Warren M. Persons

Women and the Trades. By Elizabeth Beardsley Butler. Russell Sage Foundation Publication, 1909. (New York: Charities Publication Committee, 105 East Twenty-Second Street, pp. 440, $2.00, postpaid.) Reviewed by Warren M. Persons

Housing Reform, A Handbook for Practical Use in Modern Cities. By Lawrence Veiller. Copyright, Russell Sage Foundation, New York, 1910. Reviewed by Eleanor H. Woods.

An Analysis of the United States Steel Corporation With Chart of Quarterly Earnings Since Its Organization. By Charles Wilson Taintor. Boston, 1909.