Power and sample size calculation for paired right-censored data based on survival copula models

Sample size determination is essential during the planning phases of clinical trials. To calculate the required sample size for paired right-censored data, the structure of the within-paired correlations needs to be pre-specified. In this article, we consider using popular parametric copula models, including the Clayton, Gumbel, or Frank families, to model the distribution of joint survival times. Under each copula model, we derive a sample size formula based on the testing framework for rank-based tests and non-rank-based tests (i.e., logrank test and Kaplan–Meier statistic, respectively). We also investigate how the power or the sample size was affected by the choice of testing methods and copula model under different alternative hypotheses. In addition to this, we examine the impacts of paired-correlations, accrual times, follow-up times, and the loss to follow-up rates on sample size estimation. Finally, two real-world studies are used to illustrate our method and R code is available to the user.     

Estimation of association parameters in copula models for bivariate left-truncated and right-censored data

We investigate the problem of estimating the association between two related survival variables when they follow a copula model and bivariate left-truncated and right-censored data are available. By expressing truncation probability as the functional of marginal survival functions, we propose a two-stage estimation procedure for estimating the parameters of Archimedean copulas. The asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators are established. Simulation studies are conducted to investigate the finite sample properties of the proposed estimators. The proposed method is applied to a bivariate RNA data.     

Copula based flexible modeling of associations between clustered event times

Multivariate survival data are characterized by the presence of correlation between event times within the same cluster. First, we build multi-dimensional copulas with flexible and possibly symmetric dependence structures for such data. In particular, clustered right-censored survival data are modeled using mixtures of max-infinitely divisible bivariate copulas. Second, these copulas are fit by a likelihood approach where the vast amount of copula derivatives present in the likelihood is approximated by finite differences. Third, we formulate conditions for clustered right-censored survival data under which an information criterion for model selection is either weakly consistent or consistent. Several of the familiar selection criteria are included. A set of four-dimensional data on time-to-mastitis is used to demonstrate the developed methodology.     

Maximum likelihood estimation for bivariate SUR Tobit modeling in presence of two right-censored dependent variables

This article extends the analysis of the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) Tobit model for two right-censored dependent variables by modeling its nonlinear dependence structure through the rotated by 180 degrees version of the Clayton copula. An advantage of our approach is to provide unbiased point estimates of the marginal and copula parameters. Moreover, we discuss the construction of confidence intervals using bootstrap resampling procedures. The results of the performed simulation study demonstrate the good performance of the proposed methods. We illustrate our procedures using bivariate customer churn data from a Brazilian commercial bank.     

A bivariate regression model with cure fraction

The use of bivariate distributions plays a fundamental role in survival and reliability studies. In this paper, we introduce a location-scale model for bivariate survival times based on the copula to model the dependence of bivariate survival data with cure fraction. We create the correlation structure between the failure times using the Clayton family of copulas, which is assumed to have any distribution. It turns out that the model becomes very flexible with respect to the choice of the marginal distributions. For the proposed model, we consider inferential procedures based on constrained parameters under maximum likelihood. We derive the appropriate matrices for assessing local influence under different perturbation schemes and present some ways to perform global influence analysis. The relevance of the approach is illustrated using a real data set and a diagnostic analysis is performed to select an appropriate model.     

Bayesian bivariate survival analysis using the power variance function copula

Copula models have become increasingly popular for modelling the dependence structure in multivariate survival data. The two-parameter Archimedean family of Power Variance Function (PVF) copulas includes the Clayton, Positive Stable (Gumbel) and Inverse Gaussian copulas as special or limiting cases, thus offers a unified approach to fitting these important copulas. Two-stage frequentist procedures for estimating the marginal distributions and the PVF copula have been suggested by Andersen (Lifetime Data Anal 11:333–350, 2005), Massonnet et al. (J Stat Plann Inference 139(11):3865–3877, 2009) and Prenen et al. (J R Stat Soc Ser B 79(2):483–505, 2017) which first estimate the marginal distributions and conditional on these in a second step to estimate the PVF copula parameters. Here we explore an one-stage Bayesian approach that simultaneously estimates the marginal and the PVF copula parameters. For the marginal distributions, we consider both parametric as well as semiparametric models. We propose a new method to simulate uniform pairs with PVF dependence structure based on conditional sampling for copulas and on numerical approximation to solve a target equation. In a simulation study, small sample properties of the Bayesian estimators are explored. We illustrate the usefulness of the methodology using data on times to appendectomy for adult twins in the Australian NH&MRC Twin registry. Parameters of the marginal distributions and the PVF copula are simultaneously estimated in a parametric as well as a semiparametric approach where the marginal distributions are modelled using Weibull and piecewise exponential distributions, respectively.     

Sampling nested Archimedean copulas

We give algorithms for sampling from non-exchangeable Archimedean copulas created by the nesting of Archimedean copula generators, where in the most general algorithm the generators may be nested to an arbitrary depth. These algorithms are based on mixture representations of these copulas using Laplace transforms. While in principle the approach applies to all nested Archimedean copulas, in practice the approach is restricted to certain cases where we are able to sample distributions with given Laplace transforms. Precise instructions are given for the case when all generators are taken from the Gumbel parametric family or the Clayton family; the Gumbel case in particular proves very easy to simulate.     

Inference for Bivariate Survival Data by Copula Models Adjusted for the Boundary Effect

Copula models describe the dependence structure of two random variables separately from their marginal distributions and hence are particularly useful in studying the association for bivariate survival data. Semiparametric inference for bivariate survival data based on copula models has been studied for various types of data, including complete data, right-censored data, and current status data. This article discusses the boundary effect on these inference procedures, a problem that has been neglected in the previous literature. Specifically, asymptotic distribution of the association estimator on the boundary of parameter space is derived for one-dimensional copula models. The boundary properties are applied to test independence and to study the estimation efficiency. Simulation study is conducted for the bivariate right-censored data and current status data.     

A new extension of the FGM copula for negative association

In this paper we introduced a single parameter, absolutely continuous and radially symmetric bivariate extension of the Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern (FGM) family of copulas. Specifically, this extension measures the higher negative dependencies than most FGM extensions available in literature. Closed-form formulas for distribution, quantile, density, conditional distribution, regression, Spearman's rho, Kendall's tau, and Gini's gamma are obtained. In addition, a formula for random variate generations is presented in closed-form to facilitate simulation studies. We conduct both paired and multiple comparisons with Frank, Gaussian, and Plackett copulas to investigate the performance based on Vuong's test. Furthermore, the new copula is compared with Frank, Gaussian, and Plackett copulas using both Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Cramér-von Mises type test statistics. Finally, a bivariate dataset is analyzed to compare and illustrate the flexibility of the new copula for negative dependence.     

Estimation and goodness-of-fit procedures for Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern bivariate copula of order statistics

In this study, we provide the Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern bivariate copula of rth and sth order statistics. The main emphasis in this study is on the inference procedure which is based on the maximum pseudo-likelihood estimate for the copula parameter. As for the methodology, goodness-of-fit test statistic for copulas which is based on a Cramér–von Mises functional of the empirical copula process is applied for selecting an appropriate model by bootstrapping. An application of the methodology to simulated data set is also presented.     

Nonparametric estimation of the lower tail dependence λL in bivariate copulas

The lower tail dependence λ_L is a measure that characterizes the tendency of extreme co-movements in the lower tails of a bivariate distribution. It is invariant with respect to strictly increasing transformations of the marginal distribution and is therefore a function of the copula of the bivariate distribution. λ_L plays an important role in modelling aggregate financial risk with copulas. This paper introduces three non-parametric estimators for λ_L. They are weakly consistent under mild regularity conditions on the copula and under the assumption that the number k = k(n) of observations in the lower tail, used for estimation, is asymptotically k ≈ √n. The finite sample properties of the estimators are investigated using a Monte Carlo simulation in special cases. It turns out that these estimators are biased, where amount and sign of the bias depend on the underlying copula, on the sample size n, on k, and on the true value of λ_L.     

Invariant dependence structure under univariate truncation

The class of all bivariate copulas that are invariant under univariate truncation is characterized. To this end, a family of bivariate copulas generated by a real-valued function is introduced. The obtained results are also used in order to show that the Clayton family of copulas (including its limiting elements) coincides with the class of copulas that are invariant under bivariate truncation and contains all exchangeable copulas which are invariant under univariate truncation.     

Copulas checker-type approximations: Application to quantiles estimation of sums of dependent random variables

Abstract

Several approximations of copulas have been proposed in the literature. By using empirical versions of checker-type copulas approximations, we propose non parametric estimators of the copula. Under some conditions, the proposed estimators are copulas and their main advantage is that they can be sampled from easily. One possible application is the estimation of quantiles of sums of dependent random variables from a small sample of the multivariate law and a full knowledge of the marginal laws. We show that estimations may be improved by including in an easy way in the approximated copula some additional information on the law of a sub-vector for example. Our approach is illustrated by numerical examples.     

Estimating non-simplified vine copulas using penalized splines

Vine copulas (or pair-copula constructions) have become an important tool for high-dimensional dependence modeling. Typically, so-called simplified vine copula models are estimated where bivariate conditional copulas are approximated by bivariate unconditional copulas. We present the first nonparametric estimator of a non-simplified vine copula that allows for varying conditional copulas using penalized hierarchical B-splines. Throughout the vine copula, we test for the simplifying assumption in each edge, establishing a data-driven non-simplified vine copula estimator. To overcome the curse of dimensionality, we approximate conditional copulas with more than one conditioning argument by a conditional copula with the first principal component as conditioning argument. An extensive simulation study is conducted, showing a substantial improvement in the out-of-sample Kullback–Leibler divergence if the null hypothesis of a simplified vine copula can be rejected. We apply our method to the famous uranium data and present a classification of an eye state data set, demonstrating the potential benefit that can be achieved when conditional copulas are modeled.     

Bivariate beta regression models: joint modeling of the mean,dispersion and association parameters

In this paper a bivariate beta regression model with joint modeling of the mean and dispersion parameters is proposed, defining the bivariate beta distribution from Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern (FGM) copulas. This model, that can be generalized using other copulas, is a good alternative to analyze non-independent pairs of proportions and can be fitted applying standard Markov chain Monte Carlo methods. Results of two applications of the proposed model in the analysis of structural and real data set are included.     

Investigating the correlation structure of quadrivariate udder infection times through hierarchical Archimedean copulas

The correlation structure imposed on multivariate time to event data is often of a simple nature, such as in the shared frailty model where pairwise correlations between event times in a cluster are all the same. In modeling the infection times of the four udder quarters clustered within the cow, more complex correlation structures are possibly required, and if so, such more complex correlation structures give more insight in the infection process. In this article, we will choose a marginal approach to study more complex correlation structures, therefore leaving the modeling of marginal distributions unaffected by the association parameters. The dependency of failure times will be induced through copula functions. The methods are shown for (mixtures of) the Clayton copula, but can be generalized to mixtures of Archimedean copulas for which the nesting conditions are met (McNeil in J Stat Comput Simul 6:567–581, 2008; Hofert in Comput Stat Data Anal 55:57–70, 2011).     

A bivariate regression model for matched paired survival data: local influence and residual analysis

The use of bivariate distributions plays a fundamental role in survival and reliability studies. In this paper, we consider a location scale model for bivariate survival times based on the proposal of a copula to model the dependence of bivariate survival data. For the proposed model, we consider inferential procedures based on maximum likelihood. Gains in efficiency from bivariate models are also examined in the censored data setting. For different parameter settings, sample sizes and censoring percentages, various simulation studies are performed and compared to the performance of the bivariate regression model for matched paired survival data. Sensitivity analysis methods such as local and total influence are presented and derived under three perturbation schemes. The martingale marginal and the deviance marginal residual measures are used to check the adequacy of the model. Furthermore, we propose a new measure which we call modified deviance component residual. The methodology in the paper is illustrated on a lifetime data set for kidney patients.     

基于分层阿基米德Copula的金融时间序列的相关性分析

与阿基米德copula相比,分层阿基米德copula(HAC)的结构更具一般性,而相比于椭圆型copula它的待估参数个数更少。用两阶段极大似然法来估计HAC函数,主要的步骤是先估计出每个分量的边际分布,以此为基础再估计copula函数。实证分析中,采取Clayton和Gumbel型的HAC分析四只股票价格序列之间的相关性。在得出HAC的结构和估计其参数之前,运用ARMA-GARCH过程消除了序列的自相关性和条件异方差。通过比较赤迟信息准则,认为完全嵌套的Gumbel型HAC能更好地刻画这种相关性。     

Copulas with Truncation-Invariance Property

For a truncation-invariant copula, truncation does not change the dependence structure as well as all nonparametric measures of association such as Kendall's tau and Spearman's rho. In this article, we show that the products of algebraically independent Archimedean multivariate Clayton copulas and standard uniform distributions are the only truncation-invariant copulas.     

Estimation of the Association for Bivariate Interval-censored Failure Time Data

Abstract.  Multivariate failure time data frequently occur in medical studies and the dependence or association among survival variables is often of interest ( Biometrics , 51 , 1995, 1384; Stat. Med. , 18 , 1999, 3101; Biometrika , 87 , 2000, 879; J. Roy. Statist. Soc. Ser. B , 65 , 2003, 257). We study the problem of estimating the association between two related survival variables when they follow a copula model and only bivariate interval-censored failure time data are available. For the problem, a two-stage estimation procedure is proposed and the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimator are established. Simulation studies are conducted to assess the finite sample properties of the presented estimate and the results suggest that the method works well for practical situations. An example from an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome clinical trial is discussed.