IMPROVED ESTIMATES OF THE COVARIANCE MATRIX IN GENERAL LINEAR MIXED MODELS

In this article, the problem of estimating the covariance matrix in general linear mixed models is considered. Two new classes of estimators obtained by shrinking the eigenvalues towards the origin and the arithmetic mean, respectively, are proposed. It is shown that these new estimators dominate the unbiased estimator under the squared error loss function. Finally, some simulation results to compare the performance of the proposed estimators with that of the unbiased estimator are reported. The simulation results indicate that these new shrinkage estimators provide a substantial improvement in risk under most situations.     

Generalized Bayes minimax estimation of the normal mean matrix with unknown covariance matrix

This paper addresses the problem of estimating the normal mean matrix in the case of unknown covariance matrix. This problem is solved by considering generalized Bayesian hierarchical models. The resulting generalized Bayes estimators with respect to an invariant quadratic loss function are shown to be matricial shrinkage equivariant estimators and the conditions for their minimaxity are given.     

On improved estimation of normal precision matrix and discriminant coefficients

The problem of estimating the precision matrix of a multivariate normal distribution model is considered with respect to a quadratic loss function. A number of covariance estimators originally intended for a variety of loss functions are adapted so as to obtain alternative estimators of the precision matrix. It is shown that the alternative estimators have analytically smaller risks than the unbiased estimator of the precision matrix. Through numerical studies of risk values, it is shown that the new estimators have substantial reduction in risk. In addition, we consider the problem of the estimation of discriminant coefficients, which arises in linear discriminant analysis when Fisher's linear discriminant function is viewed as the posterior log-odds under the assumption that two classes differ in mean but have a common covariance matrix. The above method is also adapted for this problem in order to obtain improved estimators of the discriminant coefficients under the quadratic loss function. Furthermore, a numerical study is undertaken to compare the properties of a collection of alternatives to the “unbiased” estimator of the discriminant coefficients.     

Shrinkage priors for Bayesian estimation of the mean matrix in an elliptically contoured distribution

This paper deals with the problem of estimating the mean matrix in an elliptically contoured distribution with unknown scale matrix. The Laplace and inverse Laplace transforms of the density allow us not only to evaluate the risk function with respect to a quadratic loss but also to simplify expressions of Bayes estimators. Consequently, it is shown that generalized Bayes estimators against shrinkage priors dominate the unbiased estimator.     

矩阵损失下多维 POISSON 均值的线性估计的可容许性

设 X_1…,X_n 相互独立,X_i 遵从参数为λ_i 的 Poisson 分布.L.D.Brown 和 R.H.Farrell 在[1]中阐述了λ=(λ_1,…,λ_n)′的线性估计的实际意义,并在二次损失函数下给出了λ的线性估计是可容许的充要条件.本文在[2]和[3]等使用的矩阵损失函数(d-λ)(d-λ)′下讨论λ的线性估计,在线性估计类中的可容许性.注意到λ的线性估计的风险函数只涉及 X=(X_1,…,X_n)′     

共同均值矩阵的线性估计的泛容许性

本文给出了多元线性模型中共同均值矩阵可估函数的线性估计的泛容许性定义,并得到了共同均值矩阵可估函数的线性估计分别在齐次和非齐次线性估计类中的泛容许性特征。     

威布尔分布无失效数据的统计分析

本文对Weibull分布场合下的无失效数据(ti,ni),根据“平均剩余寿命”这一概念得到了参数的拟矩估计,进而将其转化至有一个或多个失效数据的情形,利用[1]中的结果给出了失效概率pi的多层Bayes估计,从而利用分布函数曲线拟合方法得到了未知参数的估计．并结合实际问题进行了计算．     

Estimating the covariance matrix: a new approach

In this paper, we consider the problem of estimating the covariance matrix and the generalized variance when the observations follow a nonsingular multivariate normal distribution with unknown mean. A new method is presented to obtain a truncated estimator that utilizes the information available in the sample mean matrix and dominates the James-Stein minimax estimator. Several scale equivariant minimax estimators are also given. This method is then applied to obtain new truncated and improved estimators of the generalized variance; it also provides a new proof to the results of Shorrock and Zidek (Ann. Statist. 4 (1976) 629) and Sinha (J. Multivariate Anal. 6 (1976) 617).     

Kernel density estimation for linear processes: Asymptotic normality and optimal bandwidth derivation

The problem of estimating the marginal density of a linear process by kernel methods is considered. Under general conditions, kernel density estimators are shown to be asymptotically normal. Their limiting covariance matrix is computed. We also find the optimal bandwidth in the sense that it asymptotically minimizes the mean square error of the estimators. The assumptions involved are easily verifiable.Supported in part by NSF grant DMS-9403718.     

Estimation of the Scale Matrix and its Eigenvalues in the Wishart and the Multivariate F Distributions

In this paper, the problem of estimating the scale matrix and their eigenvalues in a Wishart distribution and in a multivariate F distribution (which arise naturally from a two-sample setting) are considered. A new class of estimators which shrink the eigenvalues towards their arithmetic mean are proposed. It is shown that the new estimator which dominates the usual unbiased estimator under the squared error loss function. A simulation study was carried out to study the performance of these estimators.     

估计敏感特征比例和敏感指标均值的问卷调查技术

提出了一种敏感性问题问卷调在技术.在相同的样本量下,提出的问卷调查技术可以获得调查者所关心的两项敏感指标(敏感比例π_x和敏感指标均值μ_x).此外,还定义了关于敏感指标的极大似然估计形式,给出一种问卷调查装置对个体隐私保护的度量方法.利用Monte Carlo方法模拟计算了在简单随机有放回抽样设计方案下估计量的精度和装置的保护度.     

2SUR回归模型系数估计的均方误差比较

对于2SUR回归模型的参数估计问题,给出了一些一航均方误差矩阵比较结果,据此提出了一类线性估计和一类基于离差阵广义非限定估计的非线性两步估计,并获得了该两步估计类的一些有限样本性质。     

正态-逆Wishart先验下多元线性模型中经验Bayes估计的优良性

在正态-逆Wishart先验下研究了多元线性模型中参数的经验Bayes估计及其优良性问题.当先验分布中含有未知参数时,构造了回归系数矩阵和误差方差矩阵的经验Bayes估计,并在Bayes均方误差(简称BMSE)准则和Bayes均方误差阵(简称BMSEM)准则下,证明了经验Bayes估计优于最小二乘估计.最后,进行了Monte Carlo模拟研究,进一步验证了理论结果.     

Linear error propagation law and plug-in estimators

In mixed linear statistical models the best linear unbiased estimators need a known covariance matrix. However, the variance components must be usually estimated. Thus a problem arises what is the covariance matrix of the plug-in estimators.     

Improved Estimation of Parameter Matrices in a One-Sample and Two-Sample Problems

In this paper, the problems of estimating the covariance matrix in a Wishart distribution (refer as one-sample problem) and the scale matrix in a multi-variate F distribution (which arise naturally from a two-sample setting) are considered. A new class of estimators which shrink the eigenvalues towards their harmonic mean is proposed. It is shown that the new estimator dominates the best linear estimator under two scale invariant loss functions.     

Improving Penalized Least Squares through Adaptive Selection of Penalty and Shrinkage

Estimation of the mean function in nonparametric regression is usefully separated into estimating the means at the observed factor levels—a one-way layout problem—and interpolation between the estimated means at adjacent factor levels. Candidate penalized least squares (PLS) estimators for the mean vector of a one-way layout are expressed as shrinkage estimators relative to an orthogonal regression basis determined by the penalty matrix. The shrinkage representation of PLS suggests a larger class of candidate monotone shrinkage (MS) estimators. Adaptive PLS and MS estimators choose the shrinkage vector and penalty matrix to minimize estimated risk. The actual risks of shrinkage-adaptive estimators depend strongly upon the economy of the penalty basis in representing the unknown mean vector. Local annihilators of polynomials, among them difference operators, generate penalty bases that are economical in a range of examples. Diagnostic techniques for adaptive PLS or MS estimators include basis-economy plots and estimates of loss or risk.     

Explicit estimators of parameters in the Growth Curve model with linearly structured covariance matrices

Estimation of parameters in the classical Growth Curve model, when the covariance matrix has some specific linear structure, is considered. In our examples maximum likelihood estimators cannot be obtained explicitly and must rely on optimization algorithms. Therefore explicit estimators are obtained as alternatives to the maximum likelihood estimators. From a discussion about residuals, a simple non-iterative estimation procedure is suggested which gives explicit and consistent estimators of both the mean and the linear structured covariance matrix.     

Estimation of the precision matrix of a singular Wishart distribution and its application in high-dimensional data

In this article, the Stein-Haff identity is established for a singular Wishart distribution with a positive definite mean matrix but with the dimension larger than the degrees of freedom. This identity is then used to obtain estimators of the precision matrix improving on the estimator based on the Moore-Penrose inverse of the Wishart matrix under the Efron-Morris loss function and its variants. Ridge-type empirical Bayes estimators of the precision matrix are also given and their dominance properties over the usual one are shown using this identity. Finally, these precision estimators are used in a quadratic discriminant rule, and it is shown through simulation that discriminant methods based on the ridge-type empirical Bayes estimators provide higher correct classification rates.     

Seemingly unrelated regression models

The cross-covariance matrix of observation vectors in two linear statistical models need not be zero matrix. In such a case the problem is to find explicit expressions for the best linear unbiased estimators of both model parameters and estimators of variance components in the simplest structure of the covariance matrix. Univariate and multivariate forms of linear models are dealt with.     

Orthogonally invariant estimation of the skew-symmetric normal mean matrix

The unbiased estimator of risk of the orthogonally invariant estimator of the skew-symmetric normal mean matrix is obtained, and a class of minimax estimators and their order-preserving modification are proposed. The estimators have applications in paired comparisons model. A Monte Carlo study to compare the risks of the estimators is given.