It has already been acknowledged that this research has been a collaborative effort between the Departments of Statistics and Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering at Trinity College, University of Dublin. The research of damage accumulation in PMMA was carried out in collaboration with the Department of Mechanical Engineering in National University of Ireland, University College Dublin. I feel that it is important to recognise here that there is still much to be gained from future collaboration. The insights that can be gained in such a context, and the sharing of ideas and knowledge across disciplines are invaluable when modelling real applications.