Adaptive test for mean vectors of high-dimensional time series data with factor structure

Statistical inference of high-dimensional time series data is of increasing interest in various fields such as social sciences and biology. In this article, we consider the problem of testing the equality of high-dimensional mean vectors in the approximate factor model, which allows for time series dependence among distinct observations and more flexible dependence within observations. We propose a data-adaptive test based on the factor-adjusted data rather than on the directly observed data. By combining the tests with different norms, the proposed test adapts to various alternative scenarios and thus overcomes the shortcomings of the tests based either on $L_2$-norm or $L_{\infty }$-norm. Multiplier bootstrap method is utilized to approximate the true underlying distribution of the proposed test statistics. Theoretical analysis shows that the proposed test enjoys desirable properties. Besides, we conduct thorough numerical study to compare the empirical performance of the proposed test with some state-of-the-art tests. A real stock market data set is analyzed to show the empirical usefulness of the proposed test.     

Assessing the lifetime performance index with Lomax distribution based on progressive type I interval censored sample

In manufacturing industry, the lifetime performance index CL is applied to evaluate the larger-the-better quality features of products. It can quickly show whether the lifetime performance of products meets the desired level. In this article, first we obtain the maximum likelihood estimator of CL with two unknown parameters in the Lomax distribution on the basis of progressive type I interval censored sample. With the MLE we proposed, some asymptotic confidence intervals of CL are discussed by using the delta method. Furthermore, the MLE of CL is used to establish the hypothesis test procedure under a given lower specification limit L. In addition, we also conduct a hypothesis test procedure when the scale parameter in the Lomax distribution is given. Finally, we illustrate the proposed inspection procedures through a real example. The testing procedure algorithms presented in this paper are efficient and easy to implement.     

Some simple nonparametric methods to test for perfect ranking in ranked set sampling

A lot of research on ranked set sampling (RSS) is based on the assumption that the ranking is perfect. Hence, it is necessary to develop some tests that could be used to validate this assumption of perfect ranking. In this paper, we introduce some simple nonparametric methods for this purpose. We specifically define three test statistics, _Nk,_Sk$N_k,S_k$ and _Ak$A_k$, based on one-cycle RSS, which are all associated with the ordered ranked set sample (ORSS). We then derive the exact null distributions and exact power functions of all these tests. Next, by using the sum or the maximum of each statistic over all cycles, we propose six test statistics for the case of multi-cycle RSS. We compare the performance of all these tests with that of the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test statistic proposed earlier by Stokes and Sager [1988. Characterization of a ranked-set sample with application to estimating distribution functions. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 83, 35–42] and display that all proposed test statistics are more powerful. Finally, we present an example to illustrate the test procedures discussed here.     

Reduced-rank estimation of the difference between two covariance matrices

We consider m×m$m\times m$ covariance matrices, _Σ1${\Sigma }_1$ and _Σ2${\Sigma }_2$, which satisfy _Σ2-_Σ1=Δ${\Sigma }_2-{\Sigma }_1=\Delta$, where Δ$\Delta$ has a specified rank. Maximum likelihood estimators of _Σ1${\Sigma }_1$ and _Σ2${\Sigma }_2$ are obtained when sample covariance matrices having Wishart distributions are available and rank(Δ)$\text{rank}(\Delta )$ is known. The likelihood ratio statistic for a test about the value of rank(Δ)$\text{rank}(\Delta )$ is also given and some properties of its null distribution are obtained. The methods developed in this paper are illustrated through an example.     

A log rank type test in observational survival studies with stratified sampling

In randomized clinical trials, the log rank test is often used to test the null hypothesis of the equality of treatment-specific survival distributions. In observational studies, however, the ordinary log rank test is no longer guaranteed to be valid. In such studies we must be cautious about potential confounders; that is, the covariates that affect both the treatment assignment and the survival distribution. In this paper, two cases were considered: the first is when it is believed that all the potential confounders are captured in the primary database, and the second case where a substudy is conducted to capture additional confounding covariates. We generalize the augmented inverse probability weighted complete case estimators for treatment-specific survival distribution proposed in Bai et al. (Biometrics 69:830–839, 2013) and develop the log rank type test in both cases. The consistency and double robustness of the proposed test statistics are shown in simulation studies. These statistics are then applied to the data from the observational study that motivated this research.     

A multivariate rank test for comparing mass size distributions

Particle size analyses of a raw material are commonplace in the mineral processing industry. Knowledge of particle size distributions is crucial in planning milling operations to enable an optimum degree of liberation of valuable mineral phases, to minimize plant losses due to an excess of oversize or undersize material or to attain a size distribution that fits a contractual specification. The problem addressed in the present paper is how to test the equality of two or more underlying size distributions. A distinguishing feature of these size distributions is that they are not based on counts of individual particles. Rather, they are mass size distributions giving the fractions of the total mass of a sampled material lying in each of a number of size intervals. As such, the data are compositional in nature, using the terminology of Aitchison [1 Aitchison, J. 1986. “The Statistical Analysis of Compositional Data”. London: Chapman and Hall. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]] that is, multivariate vectors the components of which add to 100%. In the literature, various versions of Hotelling's T ² have been used to compare matched pairs of such compositional data. In this paper, we propose a robust test procedure based on ranks as a competitor to Hotelling's T ². In contrast to the latter statistic, the power of the rank test is not unduly affected by the presence of outliers or of zeros among the data.