Composite quantile regression for single-index models with asymmetric errors

For the single-index model, a composite quantile regression technique is proposed in this paper to construct robust and efficient estimation. Theoretical analysis reveals that the proposed estimate of the single-index vector is highly efficient relative to its corresponding least squares estimate. For the single-index vector, the proposed method is always valid across a wide spectrum of error distributions; even in the worst case scenario, the asymptotic relative efficiency has a lower bound 86.4 %. Meanwhile, we employ weighted local composite quantile regression to obtain a consistent and robust estimate for the nonparametric component in the single-index model, which is adapted to both symmetric and asymmetric distributions. Numerical study and a real data analysis can further illustrate our theoretical findings.     

Semiparametric quantile regression with random censoring

This paper considers estimation and inference in semiparametric quantile regression models when the response variable is subject to random censoring. The paper considers both the cases of independent and dependent censoring and proposes three iterative estimators based on inverse probability weighting, where the weights are estimated from the censoring distribution using the Kaplan–Meier, a fully parametric and the conditional Kaplan–Meier estimators. The paper proposes a computationally simple resampling technique that can be used to approximate the finite sample distribution of the parametric estimator. The paper also considers inference for both the parametric and nonparametric components of the quantile regression model. Monte Carlo simulations show that the proposed estimators and test statistics have good finite sample properties. Finally, the paper contains a real data application, which illustrates the usefulness of the proposed methods.

     

Testing a sub-hypothesis in linear regression models with long memory covariates and errors

This paper considers the problem of testing a sub-hypothesis in homoscedastic linear regression models when the covariate and error processes form independent long memory moving averages. The asymptotic null distribution of the likelihood ratio type test based on Whittle quadratic forms is shown to be a chi-square distribution. Additionally, the estimators of the slope parameters obtained by minimizing the Whittle dispersion is seen to be n ^1/2-consistent for all values of the long memory parameters of the design and error processes. Research of the first author was partly supported by the NSF DMS Grant 0701430. Research of the second author was partly supported by the bilateral France-Lithuania scientific project Gilibert and the Lithuanian State Science and Studies Foundation grant T-15/07.     

On Monte Carlo methods for Bayesian multivariate regression models with heavy-tailed errors

We consider Bayesian analysis of data from multivariate linear regression models whose errors have a distribution that is a scale mixture of normals. Such models are used to analyze data on financial returns, which are notoriously heavy-tailed. Let π denote the intractable posterior density that results when this regression model is combined with the standard non-informative prior on the unknown regression coefficients and scale matrix of the errors. Roughly speaking, the posterior is proper if and only if n≥d+k, where n is the sample size, d is the dimension of the response, and k is number of covariates. We provide a method of making exact draws from π in the special case where n=d+k, and we study Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms that can be used to explore π when n>d+k. In particular, we show how the Haar PX-DA technology studied in Hobert and Marchev (2008) [11] can be used to improve upon Liu’s (1996) [7] data augmentation (DA) algorithm. Indeed, the new algorithm that we introduce is theoretically superior to the DA algorithm, yet equivalent to DA in terms of computational complexity. Moreover, we analyze the convergence rates of these MCMC algorithms in the important special case where the regression errors have a Student’s t distribution. We prove that, under conditions on n, d, k, and the degrees of freedom of the t distribution, both algorithms converge at a geometric rate. These convergence rate results are important from a practical standpoint because geometric ergodicity guarantees the existence of central limit theorems which are essential for the calculation of valid asymptotic standard errors for MCMC based estimates.     

Estimation and test procedures for composite quantile regression with covariates missing at random

In this paper, we study the weighted composite quantile regression (WCQR) for general linear model with missing covariates. We propose the WCQR estimation and bootstrap test procedures for unknown parameters. Simulation studies and a real data analysis are conducted to examine the finite performance of our proposed methods.     

Nonparametric quantile regression with heavy-tailed and strongly dependent errors

We consider nonparametric estimation of the conditional qth quantile for stationary time series. We deal with stationary time series with strong time dependence and heavy tails under the setting of random design. We estimate the conditional qth quantile by local linear regression and investigate the asymptotic properties. It is shown that the asymptotic properties are affected by both the time dependence and the tail index of the errors. The results of a small simulation study are also given.     

Bayesian quantile regression model for claim count data

Quantile regression model estimates the relationship between the quantile of a response distribution and the regression parameters, and has been developed for linear models with continuous responses. In this paper, we apply Bayesian quantile regression model for the Malaysian motor insurance claim count data to study the effects of change in the estimates of regression parameters (or the rating factors) on the magnitude of the response variable (or the claim count). We also compare the results of quantile regression models from the Bayesian and frequentist approaches and the results of mean regression models from the Poisson and negative binomial. Comparison from Poisson and Bayesian quantile regression models shows that the effects of vehicle year decrease as the quantile increases, suggesting that the rating factor has lower risk for higher claim counts. On the other hand, the effects of vehicle type increase as the quantile increases, indicating that the rating factor has higher risk for higher claim counts.     

Theory and inference for regression models with missing responses and covariates

In this paper, we carry out an in-depth theoretical investigation for inference with missing response and covariate data for general regression models. We assume that the missing data are missing at random (MAR) or missing completely at random (MCAR) throughout. Previous theoretical investigations in the literature have focused only on missing covariates or missing responses, but not both. Here, we consider theoretical properties of the estimates under three different estimation settings: complete case (CC) analysis, a complete response (CR) analysis that involves an analysis of those subjects with only completely observed responses, and the all case (AC) analysis, which is an analysis based on all of the cases. Under each scenario, we derive general expressions for the likelihood and devise estimation schemes based on the EM algorithm. We carry out a theoretical investigation of the three estimation methods in the normal linear model and analytically characterize the loss of information for each method, as well as derive and compare the asymptotic variances for each method assuming the missing data are MAR or MCAR. In addition, a theoretical investigation of bias for the CC method is also carried out. A simulation study and real dataset are given to illustrate the methodology.     

Marginal quantile regression for varying coefficient models with longitudinal data

In this paper, we investigate the quantile varying coefficient model for longitudinal data, where the unknown nonparametric functions are approximated by polynomial splines and the estimators are obtained by minimizing the quadratic inference function. The theoretical properties of the resulting estimators are established, and they achieve the optimal convergence rate for the nonparametric functions. Since the objective function is non-smooth, an estimation procedure is proposed that uses induced smoothing and we prove that the smoothed estimator is asymptotically equivalent to the original estimator. Moreover, we propose a variable selection procedure based on the regularization method, which can simultaneously estimate and select important nonparametric components and has the asymptotic oracle property. Extensive simulations and a real data analysis show the usefulness of the proposed method.

     

Testing in linear composite quantile regression models

Composite quantile regression (CQR) can be more efficient and sometimes arbitrarily more efficient than least squares for non-normal random errors, and almost as efficient for normal random errors. Based on CQR, we propose a test method to deal with the testing problem of the parameter in the linear regression models. The critical values of the test statistic can be obtained by the random weighting method without estimating the nuisance parameters. A distinguished feature of the proposed method is that the approximation is valid even the null hypothesis is not true and power evaluation is possible under the local alternatives. Extensive simulations are reported, showing that the proposed method works well in practical settings. The proposed methods are also applied to a data set from a walking behavior survey.     

A generalized Newton algorithm for quantile regression models

This paper formulates the quadratic penalty function for the dual problem of the linear programming associated with the \(L_1\) constrained linear quantile regression model. We prove that the solution of the original linear programming can be obtained by minimizing the quadratic penalty function, with the formulas derived. The obtained quadratic penalty function has no constraint, thus could be minimized efficiently by a generalized Newton algorithm with Armijo step size. The resulting algorithm is easy to implement, without requiring any sophisticated optimization package other than a linear equation solver. The proposed approach can be generalized to the quantile regression model in reproducing kernel Hilbert space with slight modification. Extensive experiments on simulated data and real-world data show that, the proposed Newton quantile regression algorithms can achieve performance comparable to state-of-the-art.     

Bayesian analysis of quantile regression for censored dynamic panel data

This paper develops a Bayesian approach to analyzing quantile regression models for censored dynamic panel data. We employ a likelihood-based approach using the asymmetric Laplace error distribution and introduce lagged observed responses into the conditional quantile function. We also deal with the initial conditions problem in dynamic panel data models by introducing correlated random effects into the model. For posterior inference, we propose a Gibbs sampling algorithm based on a location-scale mixture representation of the asymmetric Laplace distribution. It is shown that the mixture representation provides fully tractable conditional posterior densities and considerably simplifies existing estimation procedures for quantile regression models. In addition, we explain how the proposed Gibbs sampler can be utilized for the calculation of marginal likelihood and the modal estimation. Our approach is illustrated with real data on medical expenditures.     

Semiparametric estimation in regression with missing covariates using single-index models

We investigate semiparametric estimation of regression coefficients through generalized estimating equations with single-index models when some covariates are missing at random. Existing popular semiparametric estimators may run into difficulties when some selection probabilities are small or the dimension of the covariates is not low. We propose a new simple parameter estimator using a kernel-assisted estimator for the augmentation by a single-index model without using the inverse of selection probabilities. We show that under certain conditions the proposed estimator is as efficient as the existing methods based on standard kernel smoothing, which are often practically infeasible in the case of multiple covariates. A simulation study and a real data example are presented to illustrate the proposed method. The numerical results show that the proposed estimator avoids some numerical issues caused by estimated small selection probabilities that are needed in other estimators.

     

Upper and lower approximation models in interval regression using regression quantile techniques

In this paper, we propose new interval regression analysis based on the regression quantile techniques. To analyze a phenomenon in a fuzzy environment, we propose two interval approximation models. Without using all data, we first identify the main trend from the designated proportion of the given data. To select the main part of data to be analyzed, we introduce the regression quantile techniques. The obtained model is not influenced by extreme points since it is formulated from the center-located main proportion of the given data. After that, the interval regression model including all data can be identified based on the acquired main trend. The obtained interval regression model by the main proportion of the given data is called the lower approximation model, while interval regression model by all data is called the upper approximation model for the given phenomenon. Also it is shown that, from the lower approximation model (main trend) and the upper approximation model, we can construct a trapezoidal fuzzy model. The membership function of this fuzzy model is useful to obtain the locational information for each observation. The characteristic of our approach can be described as obtaining the upper and lower approximation models and combining them to be a fuzzy model for representing the given phenomenon in a fuzzy environment.     

Semiparametric Bayesian inference for mean-covariance regression models

In this paper, we propose a Bayesian semiparametric mean-covariance regression model with known covariance structures. A mixture model is used to describe the potential non-normal distribution of the regression errors. Moreover, an empirical likelihood adjusted mixture of Dirichlet process model is constructed to produce distributions with given mean and variance constraints. We illustrate through simulation studies that the proposed method provides better estimations in some non-normal cases. We also demonstrate the implementation of our method by analyzing the data set from a sleep deprivation study.     

Markov regime-switching quantile regression models and financial contagion detection

In this paper, we propose a Markov regime-switching quantile regression model, which considers the case where there may exist equilibria jumps in quantile regression. The parameters are estimated by the maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) method. A simulation study of this new model is conducted covering many scenarios. The simulation results show that the MLE method is efficient in estimating the model parameters. An empirical analysis is also provided, which focuses on the detection of financial crisis contagion between United States and some European Union countries during the period of sub-prime crisis from the angle of financial risk. The degree of financial contagion between markets is subsequently measured by utilizing the quantile regression coefficients. The empirical results show that in a crisis situation, the interdependence between United States and European Union countries dramatically increases.     

Enhanced decision support in credit scoring using Bayesian binary quantile regression

Fierce competition as well as the recent financial crisis in financial and banking industries made credit scoring gain importance. An accurate estimation of credit risk helps organizations to decide whether or not to grant credit to potential customers. Many classification methods have been suggested to handle this problem in the literature. This paper proposes a model for evaluating credit risk based on binary quantile regression, using Bayesian estimation. This paper points out the distinct advantages of the latter approach: that is (i) the method provides accurate predictions of which customers may default in the future, (ii) the approach provides detailed insight into the effects of the explanatory variables on the probability of default, and (iii) the methodology is ideally suited to build a segmentation scheme of the customers in terms of risk of default and the corresponding uncertainty about the prediction. An often studied dataset from a German bank is used to show the applicability of the method proposed. The results demonstrate that the methodology can be an important tool for credit companies that want to take the credit risk of their customer fully into account.     

Empirical process of residuals for regression models with long memory errors

We consider the residual empirical process in random design regression with long memory. We establish its limiting behaviour, showing that its rates of convergence are different from the rates of convergence for the empirical process based on (unobserved) errors.     

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.     

具有高斯过程误差的函数型线性模型的统计诊断

提出了具有高斯过程误差的函数型回归模型的几种诊断方法.在此模型中,首先,在样条基的基础上,推导了回归系数函数的估计.随后,证明了数据删失模型和均值漂移模型的等价性.然后,研究了三种诊断方法,即残差分析、Cook距离和似然距离来诊断异常和强影响数据.最后,通过一个模拟例子和一个实例来阐述方法的有效性.