Gamma shared frailty model based on reversed hazard rate for bivariate survival data

The unknown or unobservable risk factors in the survival analysis cause heterogeneity between the individuals. Frailty models are used in the survival analysis to account for the unobserved heterogeneity in the individual risks to disease and death. In this paper, we suggest the shared gamma frailty model with the reversed hazard rate. We introduce the Bayesian estimation procedure using MCMC technique to estimate the parameters involved in the model and compare the frailty model with the baseline model. We apply the proposed models to Australian twin data set and suggest a better model.     

Asymptotic factorial powers expansions for binomial and negative binomial reciprocals

By considering the variance formula for a shifted reciprocal of a binomial proportion, the asymptotic expansions of any order for first negative moments of binomial and negative binomial distributions truncated at zero are obtained. The expansions are given in terms of the factorial powers of the number of trials . The obtained formulae are more accurate than those of Marciniak and Wesoowski (1999) and simpler, as they do not involve the Eulerian polynomials.

     

Asymptotic Eulerian expansions for binomial and negative binomial reciprocals

Asymptotic expansions of any order for expectations of inverses of random variables with positive binomial and negative binomial distributions are obtained in terms of the Eulerian polynomials. The paper extends and improves upon an expansion due to David and Johnson (1956-7).

     

Large deviation results for generalized compound negative binomial risk models

In this paper we extend and improve some results of the large deviation for random sums of random variables. Let {Xn;n 〉 1} be a sequence of non-negative, independent and identically distributed random variables with common heavy-tailed distribution function F and finite mean μ ∈R^＋, {N（n）; n ≥0} be a sequence of negative binomial distributed random variables with a parameter p C （0, 1）, n ≥ 0, let {M（n）; n ≥ 0} be a Poisson process with intensity λ 〉 0. Suppose {N（n）; n ≥ 0}, {Xn; n≥1} and {M（n）; n ≥ 0} are mutually independent. Write S（n） =N（n）∑i=1 Xi-cM（n）.Under the assumption F ∈ C, we prove some large deviation results. These results can be applied to certain problems in insurance and finance.     

Multivariate negative binomial models for insurance claim counts

It is no longer uncommon these days to find the need in actuarial practice to model claim counts from multiple types of coverage, such as the ratemaking process for bundled insurance contracts. Since different types of claims are conceivably correlated with each other, the multivariate count regression models that emphasize the dependency among claim types are more helpful for inference and prediction purposes. Motivated by the characteristics of an insurance dataset, we investigate alternative approaches to constructing multivariate count models based on the negative binomial distribution. A classical approach to induce correlation is to employ common shock variables. However, this formulation relies on the NB-I distribution which is restrictive for dispersion modeling. To address these issues, we consider two different methods of modeling multivariate claim counts using copulas. The first one works with the discrete count data directly using a mixture of max-id copulas that allows for flexible pair-wise association as well as tail and global dependence. The second one employs elliptical copulas to join continuitized data while preserving the dependence structure of the original counts. The empirical analysis examines a portfolio of auto insurance policies from a Singapore insurer where claim frequency of three types of claims (third party property damage, own damage, and third party bodily injury) are considered. The results demonstrate the superiority of the copula-based approaches over the common shock model. Finally, we implemented the various models in loss predictive applications.     

Data analysis for accelerated life tests via Weibull-gamma frailty regression models

In this article, we study data analysis methods for accelerated life test (ALT) with blocking. Unlike the previous assumption of normal distribution for random block effects, we advocate the use of Weibull regression model with gamma random effects for making statistical inference of ALT data. To estimate the unknown parameters in the proposed model, maximum likelihood estimation and Bayesian estimation methods are provided. We illustrate the proposed methods using real data examples and simulation examples. Numerical results suggest that distribution of random effects has minimal impact on the estimation of fixed effects in the Weibull regression models. Furthermore, to demonstrate the advantage of our proposed model, we also provide methods to compare ALT plans and thus identify the optimal ALT plans.     

Computation of M. L. estimates for the parameters of a negative binomial distribution from grouped data. A comparison of the scoring,Newton—Raphson and E-M algorithms

Computation of M. L. estimates for the parameters of a negative binomial distribution from grouped data is considered. For this problem the Scoring, Newton—Raphson and E-M algorithm is derived. Using simulated data the performance of the algorithms is compared with respect to convergence, number of iterations and computing time. Finally an empirical example drawn from actuarial science is given.