A note on weak convergence of mean residual life of stationary mixing random variables

For a sequence of strictly stationary uniform or strong mixing we estimate the mean residual time of the marginal distribution from the first n observations. Under appropriate conditions it is shown that the estimate converges weakly to a well-defined Gaussian process even when the sample size is random.     

General proportional mean residual life model

By considering a covariate random variable in the ordinary proportional mean residual life (PMRL) model, we introduce and study a general model, taking more situations into account with respect to the ordinary PMRL model. We investigate how stochastic structures of the proposed model are affected by the stochastic properties of the baseline and the mixing variables in the model. Several characterizations and preservation properties of the new model under different stochastic orders and aging classes are provided. In addition, to illustrate different properties of the model, some examples are presented.     

Limiting behaviour of the mean residual life

In survival or reliability studies, the mean residual life or life expectancy is an important characteristic of the model. Here, we study the limiting behaviour of the mean residual life, and derive an asymptotic expansion which can be used to obtain a good approximation for large values of the time variable. The asymptotic expansion is valid for a quite general class of failure rate distributions—perhaps the largest class that can be expected given that the terms depend only on the failure rate and its derivatives.     

Likelihood ratio orderings of spacings of heterogeneous exponential random variables

Let X₁,X₂,…,X_n be independent exponential random variables such that X_i has failure rate λ for i=1,…,p and X_j has failure rate λ^* for j=p+1,…,n, where p≥1 and q=n-p≥1. Denote by D_i:n(p,q)=X_i:n-X_i-1:n the ith spacing of the order statistics , where X_0:n≡0. It is shown that D_i:n(p,q)?_lrD_i+1:n(p,q) for i=1,…,n-1, and that if λ?λ^* then , and for i=1,…,n, where ?_lr denotes the likelihood ratio order. The main results are used to establish the dispersive orderings between spacings.     

Estimation of two ordered bivariate mean residual life functions

Situations occur frequently in which the mean residual life (mrl) functions of two populations must be ordered. For example, if a mechanical device is improved, the mrl function for the improved device should not be less than that of the original device. Also, mrl functions for medical patients should often be ordered depending on the status of concomitant variables. This paper proposes nonparametric estimators of the bivariate mrl function under a mrl ordering. The estimators are shown to be asymptotically unbiased, strongly uniformly consistent and weakly convergent to a bivariate Gaussian process. The estimators are shown to be the projections, in a sense to be made precise, of the empirical mrl function onto an appropriate convex set of mrl functions. In the one-sample problem, the new estimators dominate the empirical mrl function in terms of risk with respect to a wide class of loss functions.     

Preservation of reliability classes associated with the mean residual life by a renewal process stopped at a random time

In this paper, we show that some ageing classes of a random time T related to the mean residual life are preserved by the discrete random count variable N(T), where {N(t) : t ?0}is a renewal process independent from T under suitable conditions. In the particular case of the Poisson process, we extend the results to more reliability classes. We also consider real examples of N(T) and apply the results to queuing systems. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Characterizations based on length-biased weighted measure of inaccuracy for truncated random variables

In survival studies and life testing, the data are generally truncated. Recently, authors have studied a weighted version of Kerridge inaccuracy measure for truncated distributions. In the present paper we consider weighted residual and weighted past inaccuracy measure and study various aspects of their bounds. Characterizations of several important continuous distributions are provided based on weighted residual (past) inaccuracy measure.     

Some results on the residual life at random time

In this paper, we consider the residual life at random time, i.e.X _Y =X−Y\X>Y, whereX andY are non-negative random variables. We establish a number of stochastic comparison properties forX _Y under various assumptions ofX andY. Under the assumption thatY has decreasing reverse hazard rate (DRHR), we show that ifX is in any one of the classes IFR, DFR, DMRL or IMRL thenX _Y is in the same class asX. We also obtain some useful bounds for the distribution and the moment ofX _Y . Because the idle time in classicalGI/G/1 queuing system can be regarded as the residual life at random time, the results obtained in this paper have applications in the study of such system. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.     

Representing the mean residual life in terms of the failure rate

In survival or reliability studies, the mean residual life or life expectancy is an important characteristic of the model. Whereas the failure rate can be expressed quite simply in terms of the mean residual life and its derivative, the inverse problem—namely that of expressing the mean residual life in terms of the failure rate—typically involves an integral of a complicated expression. In this paper, we obtain simple expressions for the mean residual life in terms of the failure rate for certain classes of distributions which subsume many of the standard cases. Several results in the literature can be obtained using our approach. Additionally, we develop an expansion for the mean residual life in terms of Gaussian probability functions for a broad class of ultimately increasing failure rate distributions. Some examples are provided to illustrate the procedure.     

部分线性度量误差模型中的经验似然推断

部分线性度量误差模型(Partial linear measurement error model)是经典的部分线性模型的推广．在此模型中,我们假定解释变量含有度量误差．本文,我们把经验似然推广到部分线性度量误差模型,得到了非参数的Wilk's定理．我们的方法可以用来构建置信区间(域),也可以用来检验．数值模拟表明,我们的方法在构建的置信区间长度以及覆盖率方面有很好的结果．     

Mean residual life order of convolutions of heterogeneous exponential random variables

In this paper, we study convolutions of heterogeneous exponential random variables with respect to the mean residual life order. By introducing a new partial order (reciprocal majorization order), we prove that this order between two parameter vectors implies the mean residual life order between convolutions of two heterogeneous exponential samples. For the 2-dimensional case, it is shown that there exists a stronger equivalence. We discuss, in particular, the case when one convolution involves identically distributed variables, and show in this case that the mean residual life order is actually associated with the harmonic mean of parameters. Finally, we derive the “best gamma bounds” for the mean residual life function of any convolution of exponential distributions under this framework.     

Likelihood ratio tests for symmetry against one-sided alternatives

A random variableX is said to have a symmetric distribution (about 0) if and only ifX and –X are, identically distributed. By considering various types of partial orderings between the distributions ofX and –X, one obtains various notions of skewness or one-sided bias. In this paper we study likelihood ratio tests for testing the symmetry of a discrete distribution about zero against the alternatives, (i)X is stochastically greater than –X; and (ii) pr(X=j)pr(X=–j) for allj>0. In the process, we obtain maximum likelihood estimators of the distribution function under the above alternatives. The asymptotic null distributions of the test statistics have been obtained and are of the chi-bar square type. A simulation study was performed to compare the powers of these tests with other tests.     

Reduction in mean residual life in the presence of a constant competing risk

The addition of a constant ‘competing risk’ corresponding to an additional, usually less significant, source of failure, frequently improves the fit in reliability and survival analysis. This is often termed a ‘lift’, as the effect is to increase the hazard rate (HR) function by a constant, which does not, of course, change the shape and hence the turning points of the HR function. However, lifting the HR function does not, in general, mean lowering the corresponding mean residual life (MRL) function by a constant, and so the MRL turning points, unlike those of the HR function are not invariant. The MRL turning points are used in, for example, defining burn‐in procedures in reliability engineering, and determining premiums in insurance. Hence, it is of interest to examine the changes in the shape of the MRL function, and in the locations of its turning points, resulting from a lift in the HR function. We discuss these problems in detail, with reference to a number of common distributions in reliability and mortality modeling. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

随机时间剩余寿命的分布类性质

得出了随机时间剩余寿命XY的随机比较性质和矩不等式．当Y是指数分布时求出了XY的故障率的界．     

Likelihood ratio tests for a class of non-oblique hypotheses

In this paper, we study the likelihood ratio tests for situations in which the null and alternative hypotheses are determined by two polyhedral cones,C ₁ andC ₂, which are nested so thatC ₁ L C ₂ andL is a linear space. The two cones are proved to be non-oblique. Members which satisfy this nesting condition are easily identified and include the cases in whichC ₁=L orL=C ₂. When testing two non-oblique hypotheses with variances unknown, the least favorable point within the null hypothesis has not been determined in general. However, for the situation considered here, the zero vector is shown to be least favorable within the null hypothesis. Two sets of hypotheses are said to be equivalent if they lead to the same likelihood ratio test. For two non-oblique polyhedral cones,C ₁ andC ₂, four sets of equivalent hypotheses are identified. IfC ₁ L C ₂, then the two cones in each of these four sets of hypotheses are similarly nested with a linear space in between.This research was supported in part by the National Institutes for Health under Grant 1 R01 GM42584-01A1.Part of this work is taken from this author's dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment for the Ph.D. Degree at the University of Missouri-Columbia.     

Comparisons in the mean residual life order of coherent systems with identically distributed components

The comparisons of the performance of coherent systems (under different stochastic criteria) is an important task in the reliability theory. Several results have been obtained in the literature for the stochastic, hazard rate and likelihood ratio orders. In this paper, we obtain comparison results for the mean residual life order of coherent systems with identically distributed (ID) component lifetimes. These results can be applied not only to the usual case of systems with independent and identically distributed components but also to the case of systems with exchangeable components and to the more general case of just ID components. The results obtained are based on the representation of the system distribution as a distorted distribution of the common components' distribution. Some specific comparison results are given to illustrate the theoretical results. The comparison results for distorted distributions given here can also be applied to other statistical concepts such as order statistics, generalized order statistics or record values. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.