Some Estimation and Hypothesis Testing Problems in Fluctuation Analysis

Xiaowei Wu
Statistics Department
Rice University

Abstract

            Fluctuation analysis is a widely used technique of making statistical inference on mutation rates in cultured cells. This paper reviews some classical point and interval estimators of mutation rate, and presents a modified median estimator, which allows for large spread of the total culture population size N(t). Hypothesis testing techniques are also proposed for comparing mutation rates between different cultures.