Finite Mixture Models

McLachlan, Geoffrey J.; Peel, David

ISBN 10: 0471006262 / ISBN 13: 9780471006268

Published by Wiley-Interscience, 2000

About this Item

8vo (24 cm), XXII, 419, [9] pp. Publisher's cloth (corners slightly scuffed, a label and canceled stamp of an institutional library on the verso of the title page). "An up-to-date, comprehensive account of major issues in finite mixture modeling. This volume provides a current and detailed overview of the theory and applications of modeling via finite mixture distributions. Emphasizing the use of mixture models in both mainstream analysis and specialized fields such as unsupervised pattern recognition, speech recognition, and medical imaging, the book describes the formulations of the finite mixture approach, details its methodology, discusses aspects of its implementation, and illustrates its application in many common statistical contexts. Major topics discussed include identifiability problems, the fitting of finite mixtures using the EM algorithm, properties of the maximum likelihood estimators obtained through this method, assessment of the number of components in the mixture, and the applicability of asymptotic theory in solving related challenges. The author also explores how the EM algorithm can be scaled to accommodate the fitting of mixture models to very large datasets, such as those encountered in data mining applications." (from the publisher's description).

Seller Inventory # 009089

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Finite Mixture Models
• Publisher: Wiley-Interscience
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0471006262
• ISBN 13: 9780471006268
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • Mathematics

About this title

Synopsis

An up-to-date, comprehensive account of major issues in finite mixture modeling
This volume provides an up-to-date account of the theory and applications of modeling via finite mixture distributions. With an emphasis on the applications of mixture models in both mainstream analysis and other areas such as unsupervised pattern recognition, speech recognition, and medical imaging, the book describes the formulations of the finite mixture approach, details its methodology, discusses aspects of its implementation, and illustrates its application in many common statistical contexts.
Major issues discussed in this book include identifiability problems, actual fitting of finite mixtures through use of the EM algorithm, properties of the maximum likelihood estimators so obtained, assessment of the number of components to be used in the mixture, and the applicability of asymptotic theory in providing a basis for the solutions to some of these problems. The author also considers how the EM algorithm can be scaled to handle the fitting of mixture models to very large databases, as in data mining applications. This comprehensive, practical guide:
* Provides more than 800 references-40% published since 1995
* Includes an appendix listing available mixture software
* Links statistical literature with machine learning and pattern recognition literature
* Contains more than 100 helpful graphs, charts, and tables
Finite Mixture Models is an important resource for both applied and theoretical statisticians as well as for researchers in the many areas in which finite mixture models can be used to analyze data.

About the Author

GEOFFREY McLACHLAN, PhD, DSc, is Professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Queensland, Australia.

DAVID PEEL, PhD, is a research fellow in the Department of Mathematics at the University of Queensland, Australia.