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WATER RESOURCES CENTER

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Desert Research Institute — University of Nevada System

February 11, 1980

Richard O.

Energy Systems

Gilbert

Department

Battelle-Northwest Laboratory
P.O. Box 999
Richland,

WA

99352

Dear Dick:

Sorry to be so long in sending references on the
Shrinkage estimator (James-Stein).
The theoretical work
is in a paper by Stein in the 3rd Berkeley Symposium on
Prof. and Stat. in 1955, 197-206, and in a paper by James
and Stein in the 4th Berkeley Symposium in 1961, 361-379.
A good introduction is an article by Efron and Morris in
Scientific American of May, 1974.
Some other articles are:
Efron
Efron
Efron
Efron
Moore

and
and
and
and
and

Morris
Morris
Morris
Morris
Brook

JASA
JASA
Ann.
Ann.
Ann.

68(1973) 117-130
70(1975) 311-319
Stat. 4 (1976) 11-21
Stat. 4 (1976) 22-32
Stat. 6 (1978) 917-919

As I mentioned, there are practical advantages to using
this estimator in that the shrinkage toward the mean may have
the effect of eliminating quarter hectare averages above
40 pCi/gm.
On the other hand there may be philosophical
objections.
Sincerely,
™~

Forest L. Miller, Jr.
Research Professor
FLM: ds

Water Resources Center

@ Energy and Atmospheric Environment Center

Applied Ecalogy and Physiology Center

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