From Cohort Data to Life Table Parameters Via Stochastic Modeling

We develop a new method through which parameters such as the duration of stages and the mortality rates within them can be deduced from data on abundance of the stages over time in one cohort of individuals. This method involves modeling of the development process, modeling of the sampling process with its inherent errors, a statistical approach based on the models, and a numerical algorithm designed to perform the statistical estimation on real (noisy) data. We discuss the meaning of development time in the face of mortality, and illustrate the use and the validity of the method with real data from cohorts where the development times were independently measured in situ.

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