Dispersive ordering by the spread function

In this paper, we have introduced the Q-addition of random variables and we have shown that this concept is equivalent to dispersive ordering. Also, we have introduced an ordering, weaker than dispersive ordering, based on the spread function. This allows us to compare two distributions with the same finite support and to check these ordering of distributions by the spread function.     

A multivariate IFR notion based on the multivariate dispersive ordering

In this paper we present a definition of multivariate increasing failure rate based on the concept of multivariate dispersion. This new definition is an extension of the univariate characterization of increasing failure rate distributions under dispersive ordering of the residual lives. We study this definition in the Clayton–Oakes model and the family of generalized order statistics. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A vertex ordering characterization of simple-triangle graphs

Consider two horizontal lines in the plane. A point on the top line and an interval on the bottom line define a triangle between two lines. The intersection graph of such triangles is called a simple-triangle graph. This paper shows a vertex ordering characterization of simple-triangle graphs as follows: a graph is a simple-triangle graph if and only if there is a linear ordering of the vertices that contains both an alternating orientation of the graph and a transitive orientation of the complement of the graph.     

A characterization of multivariate normal distribution and its application

Let X₁, X₂, …, X_n be i.i.d. d-dimensional random vectors with a continuous density. Let and . In this paper we find that the distribution of Z_k (or Y_k) can be used for characterizing multivariate normal distribution. This characterization can be employed for testing multivariate normality in terms of the so-called transformation method.     

A dynamic model of the distribution of wealth among households and nations

Stiglitz once showed that, in general, aggregate wealth is asymptotically uniformally distributed among individuals. However, in his formulation household saving is not the outcome of utility maximization over time. Constructing a simple dynamic general equilibrium model in which household saving is choice-theoretically determined, we show that given initial holdings of wealth there is a unique and stable steady state distribution of wealth and that the distribution of wealth becomes more even (resp. uneven) as time goes by if the total wealth is initially greater (resp. smaller) than its steady state level. We also study the response of the steady state equilibrium to the changes in initial distribution of wealth and the rate of time preference, and to several types of technological improvements.     

A new algorithm for computing the multivariate Faà di Bruno’s formula

A new algorithm for computing the multivariate Faà di Bruno’s formula is provided. We use a symbolic approach based on the classical umbral calculus that turns the computation of the multivariate Faà di Bruno’s formula into a suitable multinomial expansion. We propose a MAPLE procedure whose computational times are faster compared with the ones existing in the literature. Some illustrative applications are also provided.     

A new class of multivariate counting processes and its characterization

In this paper, we suggest a new class of multivariate counting processes which generalizes and extends the multivariate generalized Polya process recently studied in Cha and Giorgio [On a class of multivariate counting processes, Adv. Appl. Probab. 48 (2016), pp. 443–462]. Initially, we define this multivariate counting process by means of mixing. For further characterization of it, we suggest an alternative definition, which facilitates convenient characterization of the proposed process. We also discuss the dependence structure of the proposed multivariate counting process and other stochastic properties such as the joint distributions of the number of events in an arbitrary interval or disjoint intervals and the conditional joint distribution of the arrival times of different types of events given the number of events. The corresponding marginal processes are also characterized.     

On the finite series expansion of multivariate characteristic functions

Three theorems are obtained that relate the asymptotic behavior of a distribution function with the behavior of its characteristic function at the origin. These theorems generalize one dimensional results that have been obtained by the author and by others.     

A new heuristic algorithm solving the linear ordering problem

The linear ordering problem is an NP-hard combinatorial problem with a large number of applications. Contrary to another very popular problem from the same category, the traveling salesman problem, relatively little space in the literature has been devoted to the linear ordering problem so far. This is particularly true for the question of developing good heuristic algorithms solving this problem.In the paper we propose a new heuristic algorithm solving the linear ordering problem. In this algorithm we made use of the sorting through insertion pattern as well as of the operation of permutation reversal. The surprisingly positive effect of the reversal operation, justified in part theoretically and confirmed in computational examples, seems to be the result of a unique property of the problem, called in the paper the symmetry of the linear ordering problem. This property consists in the fact that if a given permutation is an optimal solution of the problem with the criterion function being maximized, then the reversed permutation is a solution of the problem with the same criterion function being minimized.     

A multivariate empirical characteristic function test of independence with normal marginals

This paper proposes a semi-parametric test of independence (or serial independence) between marginal vectors each of which is normally distributed but without assuming the joint normality of these marginal vectors. The test statistic is a Cramér–von Mises functional of a process defined from the empirical characteristic function. This process is defined similarly as the process of Ghoudi et al. [J. Multivariate Anal. 79 (2001) 191] built from the empirical distribution function and used to test for independence between univariate marginal variables. The test statistic can be represented as a V-statistic. It is consistent to detect any form of dependence. The weak convergence of the process is derived. The asymptotic distribution of the Cramér–von Mises functionals is approximated by the Cornish–Fisher expansion using a recursive formula for cumulants and inversion of the characteristic function with numerical evaluation of the eigenvalues. The test statistic is finally compared with Wilks statistic for testing the parametric hypothesis of independence in the one-way MANOVA model with random effects.     

A new construction for skew multivariate distributions

This paper considers a new approach to develop a very general class of skew multivariate distributions. The approach is based on a linear combination of an elliptically distributed random variable with a linear constraint. Using this approach two different classes of multivariate distributions are constructed based on original distribution. These new classes include different types of skew normal (type A and type B) and other skew elliptical distributions, exist in the literature. We also derive the moment generating function, marginal and conditional density of our proposed classes of distributions. Straightforward explanations are applied to demonstrate the relationships among previous approaches by others with our proposed class of skew distributions.     

A characterization of the multivariate normal distribution by using the hazard gradient

We give a general result to characterize a multivariate distribution from a relationship between the left truncated mean function and the hazard gradient function. This result allows us to obtain new characterizations of multivariate distributions. In particular, we show that, for the multivariate normal distribution, the simple relationship, obtained in standardized form by McGill (1992,Communications in Statistics. Theory Methods,21(11), 3053–3060), actually characterizes the multivariate normal distribution. Supported by Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia under grant BFM2000-0362.     

A new criterion for tractability of multivariate problems

Tractability of multivariate problems studies their complexity with respect to the number of variables, d$d$, and the accuracy of the solution ε$\epsilon$. Different types of tractability have been used, such as polynomial tractability and weak tractability and others. These tractability types, however, do not express the complexity with respect to the number of bits of accuracy.     

Test of association between multivariate stable vectors

Based on observations of d-dimensional random vectors in the domain of attraction of a stable distribution with (multi-)index α = (α₁, …, α_d), an estimator for the dependence function of the α_i-stable variables is constructed. The estimator utilizes the α-tail-estimator and an estimator of the spectral measure of the α-stable law. This estimator gives rise to a test of association of the stable components and various quantitative measures of association.     

A simple proof of the spectral excess theorem for distance-regular graphs

The spectral excess theorem provides a quasi-spectral characterization for a (regular) graph Γ with d+1 distinct eigenvalues to be distance-regular graph, in terms of the excess (number of vertices at distance d) of each of its vertices. The original approach, due to Fiol and Garriga in 1997, was obtained by using a local approach, so giving a characterization of the so-called pseudo-distance-regularity around a vertex. In this paper we present a new simple projection method based in a global point of view, and where the mean excess plays an essential role.     

Definition and characterization of multivariate negative binomial distribution

The probability generating function (pgf) of an n-variate negative binomial distribution is defined to be [β(s₁,…,s_n)]^?k where β is a polynomial of degree n being linear in each s_i and k > 0. This definition gives rise to two characterizations of negative binomial distributions. An n-variate linear exponential distribution with the probability function h(x₁,…,x_n)$\text{exp}\text{(}\text{Σ}{}_{\mathrm{i=1}}{}^{\mathrm{n}}\text{θ}{}_{\mathrm{i}}\text{x}{}_{\mathrm{i}}\text{)}\text{f(θ}{}_1\text{,…,θ}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{)}$ is negative binomial if and only if its univariate marginals are negative binomial. Let S_t, t = 1,…, m, be subsets of {s₁,…, s_n} with empty ∩_t=1^mS_t. Then an n-variate pgf is of a negative binomial if and only if for all s in S_t being fixed the function is of the form of the pgf of a negative binomial in other s's and this is true for all t.     

Checking the adequacy of the multivariate semiparametric location shift model

Let X,X₁,…,X_m,…, Y,Y₁,…,Y_n,… be independent d-dimensional random vectors, where the X_j are i.i.d. copies of X, and the Y_k are i.i.d. copies of Y. We study a class of consistent tests for the hypothesis that Y has the same distribution as X+μ for some unspecified . The test statistic L is a weighted integral of the squared modulus of the difference of the empirical characteristic functions of and Y₁,…,Y_n, where is an estimator of μ. An alternative representation of L is given in terms of an L²-distance between two nonparametric density estimators. The finite-sample and asymptotic null distribution of L is independent of μ. Carried out as a bootstrap or permutation procedure, the test is asymptotically of a given size, irrespective of the unknown underlying distribution. A large-scale simulation study shows that the permutation procedure performs better than the bootstrap.     

Semi-parametric multivariate modelling when the marginals are the same

A model is developed for multivariate distributions which have nearly the same marginals, up to shift and scale. This model, based on “interpolation” of characteristic functions, gives a new notion of “correlation”. It allows straightforward nonparametric estimation of the common marginal distribution, which avoids the “curse of dimensionality” present when nonparametically estimating the full multivariate distribution. The method is illustrated with environmental monitoring network data, where multivariate modelling with common marginals is often appropriate.