Weighted L2 quantile distance estimators for randomly censored data

The asymptotic properties of a family of minimum quantile distance estimators for randomly censored data sets are considered. These procedures produce an estimator of the parameter vector that minimizes a weighted L² distance measure between the Kaplan-Meier quantile function and an assumed parametric family of quantile functions. Regularity conditions are provided which insure that these estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal. An optimal weight function is derived for single parameter families, which, for location/scale families, results in censored sample analogs of estimators such as those suggested by Parzen.     

Robust statistical inference based on the C-divergence family

This paper describes a family of divergences, named herein as the C-divergence family, which is a generalized version of the power divergence family and also includes the density power divergence family as a particular member of this class. We explore the connection of this family with other divergence families and establish several characteristics of the corresponding minimum distance estimator including its asymptotic distribution under both discrete and continuous models; we also explore the use of the C-divergence family in parametric tests of hypothesis. We study the influence function of these minimum distance estimators, in both the first and second order, and indicate the possible limitations of the first-order influence function in this case. We also briefly study the breakdown results of the corresponding estimators. Some simulation results and real data examples demonstrate the small sample efficiency and robustness properties of the estimators.

     

A Family of Estimators of Finite-Population Distribution Function Using Auxiliary Information

This paper considers the problem of estimating the finite-population distribution function and quantiles with the use of auxiliary information at the estimation stage of a survey. We propose the families of estimators of the distribution function of the study variate y using the knowledge of the distribution function of the auxiliary variate x. In addition to ratio, product and difference type estimators, many other estimators are identified as members of the proposed families. For these families the approximate variances are derived, and in addition, the optimum estimator is identified along with its approximate variance. Estimators based on the estimated optimum values of the unknown parameters used to minimize the variance are also given with their properties. Further, the family of estimators of a finite-population distribution function using two-phase sampling is given, and its properties are investigated.      

Estimation of a smooth quantile function under the proportional hazards model

The problem of estimating a smooth quantile function, Q(·), at a fixed point p, 0 < p < 1, is treated under a nonparametric smoothness condition on Q. The asymptotic relative deficiency of the sample quantile based on the maximum likelihood estimate of the survival function under the proportional hazards model with respect to kernel type estimators of the quantile is evaluated. The comparison is based on the mean square errors of the estimators. It is shown that the relative deficiency tends to infinity as the sample size, n, tends to infinity.     

Exact convergence rate of bootstrap quantile variance estimator

Summary It is shown that the relative error of the bootstrap quantile variance estimator is of precise order n ^-1/4, when n denotes sample size. Likewise, the error of the bootstrap sparsity function estimator is of precise order n ^-1/4. Therefore as point estimators these estimators converge more slowly than the Bloch-Gastwirth estimator and kernel estimators, which typically have smaller error of order at most n ^-2/5.     

左截断右删失数据分位差估计及其渐近性质

我们研究了左截断右删失数据分位差,基于左截断右删失数据乘积限构造了分位差的经验估计,同时克服经验估计的非光滑性,提出了分位数差的核光滑估计.利用经验过程理论推导出这两个估计的渐近偏差和渐近方差,并且在左截断右删失数据下研究了这两个分位差的大样本性质,获得分位差估计的相合性和渐近正态性.同时给出计算模拟以验证光滑分位差估计的表现,在均方损失的意义下模拟结果表明光滑估计比经验估计具有更好的性质.     

Weighted local polynomial estimations of a non-parametric function with censoring indicators missing at random and their applications

In this paper, we consider the weighted local polynomial calibration estimation and imputation estimation of a non-parametric function when the data are right censored and the censoring indicators are missing at random, and establish the asymptotic normality of these estimators. As their applications, we derive the weighted local linear calibration estimators and imputation estimations of the conditional distribution function, the conditional density function and the conditional quantile function, and investigate the asymptotic normality of these estimators. Finally, the simulation studies are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performance of the estimators.     

Asymptotic Normality of the Minimum Non-Hilbertian Distance Estimators for a Diffusion Process with Small Noise

A one-dimensional diffusion type process with small noise is observed up to the time T. It depends on an unknown real parameter. Some minimum distance estimators of this parameter are considered. These estimators are defined using the L ^p-metric or the uniform metric. The limiting distribution of the normalizing minimum distance estimators (as the noise vanishing) is known to be the distribution of a random variable. The distribution of this random variable is studied as the time T goes to the infinity. We will prove under some conditions that it has a limiting Gaussian law. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

On properties of estimators in nonregular situations for Poisson processes

We consider the problem of parameter estimation by observations of an inhomogeneous Poisson process. It is well known that if regularity conditions are fulfilled, then the maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimators are consistent, asymptotically normal, and asymptotically efficient. These regularity conditions can be roughly presented as follows: (a) the intensity function of the observed process belongs to a known parametric family of functions, (b) the model is identifiable, (c) the Fisher information is a positive continuous function, (d) the intensity function is sufficiently smooth with respect to the unknown parameter, and (e) this parameter is an interior point of the interval. We are interested in properties of estimators for which these regularity conditions are not fulfilled. More precisely, we present a review of results which correspond to the rejection of these conditions one by one and show how properties of the MLE and Bayesian estimators change. The proofs of these results are essentially based on some general results by Ibragimov and Khasminskii. Bibliography: 9 titles.     

Robust nonparametric estimators of monotone boundaries

This paper revisits some asymptotic properties of the robust nonparametric estimators of order-m and order-α quantile frontiers and proposes isotonized version of these estimators. Previous convergence properties of the order-m frontier are extended (from weak uniform convergence to complete uniform convergence). Complete uniform convergence of the order-m (and of the quantile order-α) nonparametric estimators to the boundary is also established, for an appropriate choice of m (and of α, respectively) as a function of the sample size. The new isotonized estimators share the asymptotic properties of the original ones and a simulated example shows, as expected, that these new versions are even more robust than the original estimators. The procedure is also illustrated through a real data set.     

Minimum disparity estimation for continuous models: Efficiency,distributions and robustness

A general class of minimum distance estimators for continuous models called minimum disparity estimators are introduced. The conventional technique is to minimize a distance between a kernel density estimator and the model density. A new approach is introduced here in which the model and the data are smoothed with the same kernel. This makes the methods consistent and asymptotically normal independently of the value of the smoothing parameter; convergence properties of the kernel density estimate are no longer necessary. All the minimum distance estimators considered are shown to be first order efficient provided the kernel is chosen appropriately. Different minimum disparity estimators are compared based on their characterizing residual adjustment function (RAF); this function shows that the robustness features of the estimators can be explained by the shrinkage of certain residuals towards zero. The value of the second derivative of theRAF at zero,A ₂, provides the trade-off between efficiency and robustness. The above properties are demonstrated both by theorems and by simulations.     

Logspline Density Estimation for Censored Data

Abstract

Logspline density estimation is developed for data that may be right censored, left censored, or interval censored. A fully automatic method, which involves the maximum likelihood method and may involve stepwise knot deletion and either the Akaike information criterion (AIC) or Bayesian information criterion (BIC), is used to determine the estimate. In solving the maximum likelihood equations, the Newton–Raphson method is augmented by occasional searches in the direction of steepest ascent. Also, a user interface based on S is described for obtaining estimates of the density function, distribution function, and quantile function and for generating a random sample from the fitted distribution.     

Frequency spanning homoclinic families

A family of maps or flows depending on a parameter ν which varies in an interval, spans a certain property if along the interval this property depends continuously on the parameter and achieves some asymptotic values along it. We consider families of periodically forced Hamiltonian systems for which the appropriately scaled frequency is spanned, namely it covers the semi-infinite line [0,∞). Under some natural assumptions on the family of flows and its adiabatic limit, we construct a convenient labelling scheme for the primary homoclinic orbits which may undergo a countable number of bifurcations along this interval. Using this scheme we prove that a properly defined flux function is C¹ in ν. Combining this proof with previous results of RK and Poje, immediately establishes that the flux function and the size of the chaotic zone depend on the frequency in a non-monotone fashion for a large class of families of Hamiltonian flows.     

Variable selection and coefficient estimation via composite quantile regression with randomly censored data

Composite quantile regression with randomly censored data is studied. Moreover, adaptive LASSO methods for composite quantile regression with randomly censored data are proposed. The consistency, asymptotic normality and oracle property of the proposed estimators are established. The proposals are illustrated via simulation studies and the Australian AIDS dataset.     

Estimating a density and its derivatives via the minimum distance method

Summary This paper deals with minimum distance (MD) estimators and minimum penalized distance (MPD) estimators which are based on the L _p distance. Rates of strong consistency of MPD density estimators are established within the family of density functions which have a bounded m-th derivative. For the case p=2, it is also proved that the MPD density estimator achieves the optimum rate of decrease of the mean integrated square error and the L ₁ error. Estimation of derivatives of the density is considered as well.In a class parametrized by entire functions, it is proved that the rate of convergence of the MD density estimator (and its derivatives) to the unknown density (its derivatives) is of order in expected L ₁ and L ₂ distances. In the same class of distributions, MD estimators of unknown density and its derivatives are proved to achieve an extraordinary rate (log log n/n)^1/2 of strong consistency.     

Modified weighted squared error estimation procedures with special emphasis on the stable laws

Two families of parameter estimation procedures for the stablelaws based on a variant of the characteristic function are provided. The methodology which produces viable computational procedures for the stable laws is generally applicable to other families of distributions across avariety of settings. Both families of procedures may be described as a modified weighted chi-squared minimization procedure, and both explicitlytake account of constraints on the parameter space. Influence functions for and efficiencies of the estimators a r e given. If _l, x₂, ..., x_n is a random sample from an unknown distribution F, a method for determining the stable law to which F is attracted is developed. Procedures for regression and autoregression with stable error structurear e provided. A number of examples are given.     

A New Approach to Censored Quantile Regression Estimation

Quantile regression provides an attractive tool to the analysis of censored responses, because the conditional quantile functions are often of direct interest in regression analysis, and moreover, the quantiles are often identifiable while the conditional mean functions are not. Existing methods of estimation for censored quantiles are mostly limited to singly left- or right-censored data, with some attempts made to extend the methods to doubly censored data. In this article, we propose a new and unified approach, based on a variation of the data augmentation algorithm, to censored quantile regression estimation. The proposed method adapts easily to different forms of censoring including doubly censored and interval censored data, and somewhat surprisingly, the resulting estimates improve on the performance of the best known estimators with singly censored data. Supplementary material for this article is available online.     

响应变量删失时函数型部分线性分位数回归模型的估计

最近几年,函数型数据分析的理论和应用飞速发展.在许多实际应用里,响应变量往往存在随机右删失的情况.考虑利用函数型部分线性分位数回归模型来刻画函数型和标量预测量与右删失响应变量之间的关系.基于函数型主成分基函数来逼近未知的斜率函数,通过极小化逆概率加权分位数损失函数得到未知系数的估计量.文章的估计方法容易通过加权分位数回归程序实现.在一定的假设条件下,给出了有限维参数估计量的渐近正态性与斜率函数估计量的收敛速度.最后,通过模拟计算与应用实例证明了所提方法的有效性.     

Polynomial Regression with Censored Data based on Preliminary Nonparametric Estimation

Consider the polynomial regression model , where σ²(X)=Var(Y|X) is unknown, and ε is independent of X and has zero mean. Suppose that Y is subject to random right censoring. A new estimation procedure for the parameters β₀,...,β _p is proposed, which extends the classical least squares procedure to censored data. The proposed method is inspired by the method of Buckley and James (1979, Biometrika, 66, 429–436), but is, unlike the latter method, a noniterative procedure due to nonparametric preliminary estimation of the conditional regression function. The asymptotic normality of the estimators is established. Simulations are carried out for both methods and they show that the proposed estimators have usually smaller variance and smaller mean squared error than the Buckley–James estimators. The two estimation procedures are also applied to a medical and an astronomical data set.     

Variable selection via quantile regression with the process of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type

Based on the data-cutoff method,we study quantile regression in linear models,where the noise process is of Ornstein-Uhlenbeck type with possible jumps.In single-level quantile regression,we allow the noise process to be heteroscedastic,while in composite quantile regression,we require that the noise process be homoscedastic so that the slopes are invariant across quantiles.Similar to the independent noise case,the proposed quantile estimators are root-n consistent and asymptotic normal.Furthermore,the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator(LASSO)is applied for the purpose of variable selection.As a result,the quantile estimators are consistent in variable selection,and the nonzero coefficient estimators enjoy the same asymptotic distribution as their counterparts under the true model.Extensive numerical simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed approaches and foreign exchange rate data are analyzed for the illustration purpose.