This book highlights the forefront of research on statistical
distribution theory, with a focus on unconventional random quantities,
and on phenomena such as random partitioning. The respective papers
reflect the continuing appeal of distribution theory and the lively
interest in this classic field, which owes much of its expansion since
the 1960s to Professor Masaaki Sibuya, to whom this book is dedicated.
The topics addressed include a test procedure for discriminating the
(multivariate) Ewens distribution from the Pitman Sampling Formula,
approximation to the length of the Ewens distribution by discrete
distributions and the normal distribution, and the distribution of the
number of levels in [s]-specified random permutations. Also
included are distributions associated with orthogonal polynomials with a
symmetric matrix argument and the characterization of the Jeffreys
prior.