On the exact distribution of linear combinations of order statistics from dependent random variables

We study the exact distribution of linear combinations of order statistics of arbitrary (absolutely continuous) dependent random variables. In particular, we examine the case where the random variables have a joint elliptically contoured distribution and the case where the random variables are exchangeable. We investigate also the particular L-statistics that simply yield a set of order statistics, and study their joint distribution. We present the application of our results to genetic selection problems, design of cellular phone receivers, and visual acuity. We give illustrative examples based on the multivariate normal and multivariate Student t distributions.     

A Characterization of Joint Distribution of Two-Valued Random Variables and Its Applications

We obtain an explicit representation for joint distribution of two-valued random variables with given marginals and for a copula corresponding to such random variables. The results are applied to prove a characterization of r-independent two-valued random variables in terms of their mixed first moments. The characterization is used to obtain an exact estimate for the number of almost independent random variables that can be defined on a discrete probability space and necessary conditions for a sequence of r-independent random variables to be stationary.     

Choosing joint distributions so that the variance of the sum is small

The paper considers how to choose the joint distribution of several random variables each with a given marginal distribution so that their sum has a variance as small as possible. A theorem is given that allows the solution of this and of related problems for normal random variables. Several specific applications are given. Additional results are provided for radially symmetric joint distributions of three random variables when the sum is identically zero.     

Simulating Multivariate Extreme Value Distributions of Logistic Type

Methods are given for simulating from symmetric and asymmetric versions of the multivariate logistic distribution, and from other multivariate extreme value distributions based on the well known logistic model. We consider two general approaches. The first approach uses transformations to derive random variables with a joint distribution function from which it is easy to simulate. The second approach derives from a specification of conditionally independent marginal components, conditioning on positive stable random variables. This specification extends to models of nested or hierarchical type and leads to an efficient way of incorporating marginal censoring. The algorithms presented in Sections 2 and 3 are available on request from the author. They are also included in the R (Ihaka and Gentleman, 1996) package evd (Stephenson, 2002), which is available from http://www.maths.lancs.ac.uk/~stephena/.     

A Heuristic for Moment-Matching Scenario Generation

In stochastic programming models we always face the problem of how to represent the random variables. This is particularly difficult with multidimensional distributions. We present an algorithm that produces a discrete joint distribution consistent with specified values of the first four marginal moments and correlations. The joint distribution is constructed by decomposing the multivariate problem into univariate ones, and using an iterative procedure that combines simulation, Cholesky decomposition and various transformations to achieve the correct correlations without changing the marginal moments.With the algorithm, we can generate 1000 one-period scenarios for 12 random variables in 16 seconds, and for 20 random variables in 48 seconds, on a Pentium III machine.     

分布矩阵与随机变量独立性的判定

利用离散型随机变量的联合分布矩阵,得到了离散型随机变量独立性的一种判别方法,并用实例给出了一定的应用。     

Mean–variance–skewness efficient surfaces,Stein’s lemma and the multivariate extended skew-Student distribution

Recent advances in Stein’s lemma imply that under elliptically symmetric distributions all rational investors will select a portfolio which lies on Markowitz’ mean–variance efficient frontier. This paper describes extensions to Stein’s lemma for the case when a random vector has the multivariate extended skew-Student distribution. Under this distribution, rational investors will select a portfolio which lies on a single mean–variance–skewness efficient hyper-surface. The same hyper-surface arises under a broad class of models in which returns are defined by the convolution of a multivariate elliptically symmetric distribution and a multivariate distribution of non-negative random variables. Efficient portfolios on the efficient surface may be computed using quadratic programming.     

A practical non-parametric copula algorithm for system reliability with correlations

System reliability analysis involving correlated random variables is challenging because the failure probability cannot be uniquely determined under the given probability information. This paper proposes a system reliability evaluation method based on non-parametric copulas. The approximated joint probability distribution satisfying the constraints specified by correlations has the maximal relative entropy with respect to the joint probability distribution of independent random variables. Thus the reliability evaluation is unbiased from the perspective of information theory. The estimation of the non-parametric copula parameters from Pearson linear correlation, Spearman rank correlation, and Kendall rank correlation are provided, respectively. The approximated maximum entropy distribution is then integrated with the first and second order system reliability method. Four examples are adopted to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed method. It is found that traditional system reliability method encodes excessive dependence information for correlated random variables and the estimated failure probability can be significantly biased.     

The almost equivalence of pairwise and mutual independence and the duality with exchangeability

For a large collection of random variables in an ideal setting, pairwise independence is shown to be almost equivalent to mutual independence. An asymptotic interpretation of this fact shows the equivalence of asymptotic pairwise independence and asymptotic mutual independence for a triangular array (or a sequence) of random variables. Similar equivalence is also presented for uncorrelatedness and orthogonality as well as for the constancy of joint moment functions and exchangeability. General unification of multiplicative properties for random variables are obtained. The duality between independence and exchangeability is established through the random variables and sample functions in a process. Implications in other areas are also discussed, which include a justification for the use of mutually independent random variables derived from sequential draws where the underlying population only satisfies a version of weak dependence. Macroscopic stability of some mass phenomena in economics is also characterized via almost mutual independence. It is also pointed out that the unit interval can be used to index random variables in the ideal setting, provided that it is endowed together with some sample space a suitable larger measure structure. Received: 16 April 1997 / Revised version: 18 May 1998     

Multivariate Discrete Distributions with a Product-Type Dependence

A discrete multivariate probability distribution for dependent random variables, which contains the Poisson and Geometric conditionals distributions as particular cases, is characterized by means of conditional expectations of arbitrary one-to-one functions. Independence of the random variables is also characterized in terms of these conditional expectations. For certain exchangeable and partially exchangeable random variables with a joint distribution of this form it is shown that maximum likelihood estimates coincide with the simple method of moments estimates, suggesting that these models offer a pragmatic way to analyze certain dependent data.     

Random variables determined by the distributions of their digits in a numeration system with complex base

We study the distributions of complex-valued random variables determined by the distributions of their digits in a numeration system with complex base. We establish sufficient conditions for the singularity of such random variables, in particular, in the cases where their spectrum has Lebesgue measure zero (C-type singular distribution) or is a rectangle (S-type singular distribution). Translated from Ukrainskii Matematicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 50, No. 12, pp. 1715–1720, December, 1998.     

极值分布的一个注记

本文对PH极值分布进行了推广,应用构造相关联的Markov过程的方法,证明了n个相互独立的PH随机变量构成的次序随机变量的分布仍是PH分布。并给出了次序PH随机变量分布表达式的表示方法,本文同时也给出了次序PH随机变量的联合生存分布,本文最后给出了次序PH随机变量在可靠性理论与更新理论中的应用。     

Eigenanalysis on a bivariate covariance kernel

Certain constructions of copulas can be interpreted as an eigendecomposition of a kernel. We study some properties of the eigenfunctions and their integrals of a covariance kernel related to a bivariate distribution. The covariance between functions of random variables in terms of the cumulative distribution function is used. Some bounds for the trace of the kernel and some inequalities for a continuous random variable concerning a function and its derivative are obtained. We also obtain relations to diagonal expansions and canonical correlation analysis and, as a by-product, series of constants for some particular distributions.     

The use of order statistic numerical simulation algorithms

A modification of the standard algorithm for the simulation of order statistics for a uniform distribution is proposed that uses confidence intervals. It is found that one of the applications of the algorithms for the simulation of order statistics (namely, simulation of the beta distribution with integer parameters) gives more efficient methods for the simulation of order statistics than the algorithm based on confidence intervals. It is shown that the resulting algorithm can be used for the efficient simulation of random variables with polynomial density and of beta distributed random variables with large noninteger parameters.     

Dimensions of random recursive sets

We prove a theorem that generalizes the equality among the packing, Hausdorff, and upper and lower Minkowski dimensions for a general class of random recursive constructions, and apply it to constructions with finite memory. Then we prove an upper bound on the packing dimension of certain random distribution functions on [0, 1]. Bibliography: 7 titles. __________ Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov POMI, Vol. 328, 2005, pp. 20–26.     

Multivariate order statistics based on dependent and nonidentically distributed random variables

In this paper some identities and inequalities which involve the joint distribution of order statistics in a set of dependent and nonidentically distributed random variables are derived. These identities and inequalities provide a unified way to handle the joint distribution of order statistics in a set of univariate or bivariate observations.     

有限域上随机变量联合分布及二阶矩的分解与应用

本文给出了有限域上随机变量联合概率和二阶矩的分解公式，给出了有限域上随机变量相互独立的谱刻划，应用上述结果，建立了在进行频次分析时，对有限域上随机向量构造的Χ平方统计量与该随机向量坐标函数的非零线性组合的Χ平方统计量之间的内在联系，给出了有限域上相关免疫函数谱特征的新证明，建立了有限域上多输出函数的差分分布与其广义Chrestenson循环谱之间的内在联系，建立了多输出函数的平衡性其差分分布之间的内在联系。     

Limit distributions for the number of particles in branching random walks

We study branching random walks with continuous time. Particles performing a random walk on ?², are allowed to be born and die only at the origin. It is assumed that the offspring reproduction law at the branching source is critical and the random walk outside the source is homogeneous and symmetric. Given particles at the origin, we prove a conditional limit theorem for the joint distribution of suitably normalized numbers of particles at the source and outside it as time unboundedly increases. As a consequence, we establish the asymptotic independence of such random variables.     

封闭型保单组未来损失现值向量的联合分布及渐近分布

本文针对封闭型保单组,利用历年死亡人数随机向量D,将保单组的未来给付现值随机变量和未来损失现值随机变量表达为某个满秩矩阵和D的乘积,根据D服从多项分布的性质,得到未来损失现值随机向量渐近服从多元正态分布的结果,为分析责任准备金提供了一个新的框架.     

An analytic refinement of the Heyde theorem on linear forms of independent random variables

In terms of the characteristic function of the joint distribution of two linear forms of independent random variables, one refines Heyde's known theorem on the characterization of the Gaussian distribution by the property of symmetry of the conditional distribution of one linear form under a given second form.Translated from Zapiski Nauchnykh Seminarov Leningradskogo Otdeleniya Matematicheskogo Instituta im. V. A. Steklova AN SSSR, Vol. 166, pp. 54–59, 1988.