Difference based estimation for partially linear regression models with measurement errors

This paper is concerned with the estimating problem of the partially linear regression models where the linear covariates are measured with additive errors. A difference based estimation is proposed to estimate the parametric component. We show that the resulting estimator is asymptotically unbiased and achieves the semiparametric efficiency bound if the order of the difference tends to infinity. The asymptotic normality of the resulting estimator is established as well. Compared with the corrected profile least squares estimation, the proposed procedure avoids the bandwidth selection. In addition, the difference based estimation of the error variance is also considered. For the nonparametric component, the local polynomial technique is implemented. The finite sample properties of the developed methodology is investigated through simulation studies. An example of application is also illustrated.     

Statistical inference in partially-varying-coefficient single-index model

Consider a varying-coefficient single-index model which consists of two parts: the linear part with varying coefficients and the nonlinear part with a single-index structure, and are hence termed as varying-coefficient single-index models. This model includes many important regression models such as single-index models, partially linear single-index models, varying-coefficient model and varying-coefficient partially linear models as special examples. In this paper, we mainly study estimating problems of the varying-coefficient vector, the nonparametric link function and the unknown parametric vector describing the single-index in the model. A stepwise approach is developed to obtain asymptotic normality estimators of the varying-coefficient vector and the parametric vector, and estimators of the nonparametric link function with a convergence rate. The consistent estimator of the structural error variance is also obtained. In addition, asymptotic pointwise confidence intervals and confidence regions are constructed for the varying coefficients and the parametric vector. The bandwidth selection problem is also considered. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the proposed methods, and real data analysis is also used to illustrate our methods.     

Statistical inference for panel data semiparametric partially linear regression models with heteroscedastic errors

We consider a panel data semiparametric partially linear regression model with an unknown parameter vector for the linear parametric component, an unknown nonparametric function for the nonlinear component, and a one-way error component structure which allows unequal error variances (referred to as heteroscedasticity). We develop procedures to detect heteroscedasticity and one-way error component structure, and propose a weighted semiparametric least squares estimator (WSLSE) of the parametric component in the presence of heteroscedasticity and/or one-way error component structure. This WSLSE is asymptotically more efficient than the usual semiparametric least squares estimator considered in the literature. The asymptotic properties of the WSLSE are derived. The nonparametric component of the model is estimated by the local polynomial method. Some simulations are conducted to demonstrate the finite sample performances of the proposed testing and estimation procedures. An example of application on a set of panel data of medical expenditures in Australia is also illustrated.     

Statistical inference in a panel data semiparametric regression model with serially correlated errors

We consider a panel data semiparametric partially linear regression model with an unknown vector β of regression coefficients, an unknown nonparametric function g(·) for nonlinear component, and unobservable serially correlated errors. The correlated errors are modeled by a vector autoregressive process which involves a constant intraclass correlation. Applying the pilot estimators of β and g(·), we construct estimators of the autoregressive coefficients, the intraclass correlation and the error variance, and investigate their asymptotic properties. Fitting the error structure results in a new semiparametric two-step estimator of β, which is shown to be asymptotically more efficient than the usual semiparametric least squares estimator in terms of asymptotic covariance matrix. Asymptotic normality of this new estimator is established, and a consistent estimator of its asymptotic covariance matrix is presented. Furthermore, a corresponding estimator of g(·) is also provided. These results can be used to make asymptotically efficient statistical inference. Some simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performances of these proposed estimators.     

STRONG CONVERGENCE RATES OF SEVERAL ESTIMATORS IN SEMIPARAMETRIC VARYING-COEFFICIENT PARTIALLY LINEAR MODELS

This article is concerned with the estimating problem of semiparametric varyingcoefficient partially linear regression models. By combining the local polynomial and least squares procedures Fan and Huang （2005） proposed a profile least squares estimator for the parametric component and established its asymptotic normality. We further show that the profile least squares estimator can achieve the law of iterated logarithm. Moreover, we study the estimators of the functions characterizing the non-linear part as well as the error variance. The strong convergence rate and the law of iterated logarithm are derived for them, respectively.     

Simple and efficient improvements of multivariate local linear regression

This paper studies improvements of multivariate local linear regression. Two intuitively appealing variance reduction techniques are proposed. They both yield estimators that retain the same asymptotic conditional bias as the multivariate local linear estimator and have smaller asymptotic conditional variances. The estimators are further examined in aspects of bandwidth selection, asymptotic relative efficiency and implementation. Their asymptotic relative efficiencies with respect to the multivariate local linear estimator are very attractive and increase exponentially as the number of covariates increases. Data-driven bandwidth selection procedures for the new estimators are straightforward given those for local linear regression. Since the proposed estimators each has a simple form, implementation is easy and requires much less or about the same amount of effort. In addition, boundary corrections are automatic as in the usual multivariate local linear regression.     

Local linear regression for functional predictor and scalar response

The aim of this work is to introduce a new nonparametric regression technique in the context of functional covariate and scalar response. We propose a local linear regression estimator and study its asymptotic behaviour. Its finite-sample performance is compared with a Nadayara-Watson type kernel regression estimator and with the linear regression estimator via a Monte Carlo study and the analysis of two real data sets. In all the scenarios considered, the local linear regression estimator performs better than the kernel one, in the sense that the mean squared prediction error is lower.     

Data sharpening methods in multivariate local quadratic regression

This paper is concerned with the conditional bias and variance of local quadratic regression to the multivariate predictor variables. Data sharpening methods of nonparametric regression were first proposed by Choi, Hall, Roussion. Recently, a data sharpening estimator of local linear regression was discussed by Naito and Yoshizaki. In this paper, to improve mainly the fitting precision, we extend their results on the asymptotic bias and variance. Using the data sharpening estimator of multivariate local quadratic regression, we are able to derive higher fitting precision. In particular, our approach is simple to implement, since it has an explicit form, and is convenient when analyzing the asymptotic conditional bias and variance of the estimator at the interior and boundary points of the support of the density function.     

Semi-varying coefficient models with a diverging number of components

Semiparametric models with both nonparametric and parametric components have become increasingly useful in many scientific fields, due to their appropriate representation of the trade-off between flexibility and efficiency of statistical models. In this paper we focus on semi-varying coefficient models (a.k.a. varying coefficient partially linear models) in a “large n, diverging p” situation, when both the number of parametric and nonparametric components diverges at appropriate rates, and we only consider the case p=o(n). Consistency of the estimator based on B-splines and asymptotic normality of the linear components are established under suitable assumptions. Interestingly (although not surprisingly) our analysis shows that the number of parametric components can diverge at a faster rate than the number of nonparametric components and the divergence rates of the number of the nonparametric components constrain the allowable divergence rates of the parametric components, which is a new phenomenon not established in the existing literature as far as we know. Finally, the finite sample behavior of the estimator is evaluated by some Monte Carlo studies.     

Stahel-Donoho kernel estimation for fixed design nonparametric regression models

This paper reports a robust kernel estimation for fixed design nonparametric regression models. A Stahel-Donoho kernel estimation is introduced, in which the weight functions depend on both the depths of data and the distances between the design points and the estimation points. Based on a local approximation, a computational technique is given to approximate to the incomputable depths of the errors. As a result the new estimator is computationally efficient. The proposed estimator attains a high breakdown point and has perfect asymptotic behaviors such as the asymptotic normality and convergence in the mean squared error. Unlike the depth-weighted estimator for parametric regression models, this depth-weighted nonparametric estimator has a simple variance structure and then we can compare its efficiency with the original one. Some simulations show that the new method can smooth the regression estimation and achieve some desirable balances between robustness and efficiency.