Nonparametric estimation of varying-coefficient single-index models

The varying-coefficient single-index model has two distinguishing features: partially linear varying-coefficient functions and a single-index structure. This paper proposes a nonparametric method based on smoothing splines for estimating varying-coefficient functions and an unknown link function. Moreover, the average derivative estimation method is applied to obtain the single-index parameter estimates. For interval inference, Bayesian confidence intervals were obtained based on Bayes models for varying-coefficient functions and the link function. The performance of the proposed method is examined both through simulations and by applying it to Boston housing data.     

Smoothing Spline Estimation for Partially Linear Single-index Models

In this article, the partially linear single-index models are discussed based on smoothing spline and average derivative estimation method. This proposed technique consists of two stages: one is to estimate the vector parameter in the linear part using the smoothing cubic spline method, simultaneously, obtaining the estimator of unknown single-index function; the other is to estimate the single-index coefficients in the single-index part by the using average derivative estimator procedure. Some simulated and real examples are presented to illustrate the performance of this method.     

Semiparametric estimation of the single-index varying-coefficient model

In this paper, we consider the choice of pilot estimators for the single-index varying-coefficient model, which may result in radically different estimators, and develop the method for estimating the unknown parameter in this model. To estimate the unknown parameters efficiently, we use the outer product of gradient method to find the consistent initial estimators for interest parameters, and then adopt the refined estimation method to improve the efficiency, which is similar to the refined minimum average variance estimation method. An algorithm is proposed to estimate the model directly. Asymptotic properties for the proposed estimation procedure have been established. The bandwidth selection problem is also considered. Simulation studies are carried out to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed estimators, and efficiency comparisons between the estimation methods are made.     

Estimation of partially linear single-index additive hazards model with current status data

In this paper, we introduce a partially linear single-index additive hazards model with current status data. Both the unknown link function of the single-index term and the cumulative baseline hazard function are approximated by B-splines under a monotonicity constraint on the latter. The sieve method is applied to estimate the nonparametric and parametric components simultaneously. We show that, when the nonparametric link function is an exact B-spline, the resultant estimator of regression parameter vector is asymptotically normal and achieves the semiparametric information bound and the rate of convergence of the estimator for the cumulative baseline hazard function is optimal. Simulation studies are presented to examine the finite sample performance of the proposed estimation method. For illustration, we apply the method to a clinical dataset with current status outcome.     

Estimation of general semi-parametric quantile regression

Quantile regression introduced by Koenker and Bassett (1978) produces a comprehensive picture of a response variable on predictors. In this paper, we propose a general semi-parametric model of which part of predictors are presented with a single-index, to model the relationship of conditional quantiles of the response on predictors. Special cases are single-index models, partially linear single-index models and varying coefficient single-index models. We propose the qOPG, a quantile regression version of outer-product gradient estimation method (OPG, Xia et al., 2002) to estimate the single-index. Large-sample properties, simulation results and a real-data analysis are provided to examine the performance of the qOPG.     

Estimating coefficients of single-index regression models by minimizing variation

This paper proposes a novel estimation of coefficients in single-index regression models. Unlike the traditional average derivative estimation [Powell JL, Stock JH, Stoker TM. Semiparametric estimation of index coefficients. Econometrica. 1989;57(6):1403–1430; Hardle W, Thomas M. Investigating smooth multiple regression by the method of average derivatives. J Amer Statist Assoc. 1989;84(408):986–995] and semiparametric least squares estimation [Ichimura H. Semiparametric least squares (sls) and weighted sls estimation of single-index models. J Econometrics. 1993;58(1):71–120; Hardle W, Hall P, Ichimura H. Optimal smoothing in single-index models. Ann Statist. 1993;21(1):157–178], the procedure developed in this paper is to estimate the coefficients directly by minimizing the mean variation function and does not involve estimating the link function nonparametrically. As a result, it avoids the selection of the bandwidth or the number of knots, and its implementation is more robust and easier. The resultant estimator is shown to be consistent. Numerical results and real data analysis also show that the proposed procedure is more applicable against model free assumptions.     

The single-index support vector regression model to address the problem of high dimensionality

ABSTRACT

The last few years, the applications of Support Vector Machine (SVM) for solving classification and regression problems have been increasing, due to its high performance and ability to transform the non-linear relationships among variables to linear form by employing the kernel idea (kernel function). In this work, we develop a semi-parametric approach to fit single-index models to deal with high-dimensional problems. To achieve this goal, we use support vector regression (SVR) for estimating the unknown nonparametric link function, while the single-index is determined by using the semi-parametric least squares method (Ichimura 1993). This development enhances the ability of SVR to solve high-dimensional problem. We design a three simulation examples with high-dimensional problems (linear and nonlinear). The simulations demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method versus the standard SVR method. This is further illustrated by applying the real data.     

Bayesian quantile regression for single-index models

Using an asymmetric Laplace distribution, which provides a mechanism for Bayesian inference of quantile regression models, we develop a fully Bayesian approach to fitting single-index models in conditional quantile regression. In this work, we use a Gaussian process prior for the unknown nonparametric link function and a Laplace distribution on the index vector, with the latter motivated by the recent popularity of the Bayesian lasso idea. We design a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for posterior inference. Careful consideration of the singularity of the kernel matrix, and tractability of some of the full conditional distributions leads to a partially collapsed approach where the nonparametric link function is integrated out in some of the sampling steps. Our simulations demonstrate the superior performance of the Bayesian method versus the frequentist approach. The method is further illustrated by an application to the hurricane data.     

A Comparative Study of Semiparametric Estimation in Partially Linear Single-index Models

We consider a semiparametric method based on partial splines for estimating the unknown function and partially linear regression parameters in partially linear single-index models. Three methods—project pursuit regression (PPR), average derivative estimation (ADE), and a boosting method—are considered for estimating the single-index parameters. Simulations revealed that PPR with partial splines was superior in estimating single-index parameters, while the boosting method with partial splines performed no better than PPR and ADE. All three methods performed similarly in estimating the partially linear regression parameters. The relative performances of the methods are also illustrated using a real-world data example.     

Single-index composite quantile regression

In this paper, we extend the composite quantile regression (CQR) method to a single-index model. The unknown link function is estimated by local composite quantile regression and the parametric index is estimated through the linear composite quantile. It is shown that the proposed estimators are consistent and asymptotically normal. The simulation studies and real data applications are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed methods.     

Nonparametric Estimation of Variance Function for Functional Data Under Mixing Conditions

This article investigates nonparametric estimation of variance functions for functional data when the mean function is unknown. We obtain asymptotic results for the kernel estimator based on squared residuals. Similar to the finite dimensional case, our asymptotic result shows the smoothness of the unknown mean function has an effect on the rate of convergence. Our simulation studies demonstrate that estimator based on residuals performs much better than that based on conditional second moment of the responses.     

Bernstein conditional density estimation with application to conditional distribution and regression functions

In this paper we propose a smooth nonparametric estimation for the conditional probability density function based on a Bernstein polynomial representation. Our estimator can be written as a finite mixture of beta densities with data-driven weights. Using the Bernstein estimator of the conditional density function, we derive new estimators for the distribution function and conditional mean. We establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators, by proving their asymptotic normality and by providing their asymptotic bias and variance. Simulation results suggest that the proposed estimators can outperform the Nadaraya–Watson estimator and, in some specific setups, the local linear kernel estimators. Finally, we use our estimators for modeling the income in Italy, conditional on year from 1951 to 1998, and have another look at the well known Old Faithful Geyser data.     

Books on probability ideas are reviewed

In this paper, semiparametric methods are applied to estimate multivariate volatility functions, using a residual approach as in [J. Fan and Q. Yao, Efficient estimation of conditional variance functions in stochastic regression, Biometrika 85 (1998), pp. 645–660; F.A. Ziegelmann, Nonparametric estimation of volatility functions: The local exponential estimator, Econometric Theory 18 (2002), pp. 985–991; F.A. Ziegelmann, A local linear least-absolute-deviations estimator of volatility, Comm. Statist. Simulation Comput. 37 (2008), pp. 1543–1564], among others. Our main goal here is two-fold: (1) describe and implement a number of semiparametric models, such as additive, single-index and (adaptive) functional-coefficient, in volatility estimation, all motivated as alternatives to deal with the curse of dimensionality present in fully nonparametric models; and (2) propose the use of a variation of the traditional cross-validation method to deal with model choice in the class of adaptive functional-coefficient models, choosing simultaneously the bandwidth, the number of covariates in the model and also the single-index smoothing variable. The modified cross-validation algorithm is able to tackle the computational burden caused by the model complexity, providing an important tool in semiparametric volatility estimation. We briefly discuss model identifiability when estimating volatility as well as nonnegativity of the resulting estimators. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulations for several underlying generating models are implemented and applications to real data are provided.     

Estimation for Partially Linear Single-index Instrumental Variables Models

In this article, we generalize the partially linear single-index models to the scenario with some endogenous covariates variables. It is well known that the estimators based on the existing methods are often inconsistent because of the endogeneity of covariates. To deal with the endogenous variables, we introduce some auxiliary instrumental variables. A three-stage estimation procedure is proposed for partially linear single-index instrumental variables models. The first stage is to obtain a linear projection of endogenous variables on a set of instrumental variables, the second stage is to estimate the link function by using local linear smoother for given constant parameters, and the last stage is to obtain the estimators of constant parameters based on the estimating equation. Asymptotic normality is established for the proposed estimators. Some simulation studies are undertaken to assess the finite sample performance of the proposed estimation procedure.     

On Semiparametric Mode Regression Estimation

It has been found that, for a variety of probability distributions, there is a surprising linear relation between mode, mean, and median. In this article, the relation between mode, mean, and median regression functions is assumed to follow a simple parametric model. We propose a semiparametric conditional mode (mode regression) estimation for an unknown (unimodal) conditional distribution function in the context of regression model, so that any m-step-ahead mean and median forecasts can then be substituted into the resultant model to deliver m-step-ahead mode prediction. In the semiparametric model, Least Squared Estimator (LSEs) for the model parameters and the simultaneous estimation of the unknown mean and median regression functions by the local linear kernel method are combined to infer about the parametric and nonparametric components of the proposed model. The asymptotic normality of these estimators is derived, and the asymptotic distribution of the parameter estimates is also given and is shown to follow usual parametric rates in spite of the presence of the nonparametric component in the model. These results are applied to obtain a data-based test for the dependence of mode regression over mean and median regression under a regression model.     

Composite quantile regression for varying-coefficient single-index models

ABSTRACT

The varying-coefficient single-index model (VCSIM) is a very general and flexible tool for exploring the relationship between a response variable and a set of predictors. Popular special cases include single-index models and varying-coefficient models. In order to estimate the index-coefficient and the non parametric varying-coefficients in the VCSIM, we propose a two-stage composite quantile regression estimation procedure, which integrates the local linear smoothing method and the information of quantile regressions at a number of conditional quantiles of the response variable. We establish the asymptotic properties of the proposed estimators for the index-coefficient and varying-coefficients when the error is heterogeneous. When compared with the existing mean-regression-based estimation method, our simulation results indicate that our proposed method has comparable performance for normal error and is more robust for error with outliers or heavy tail. We illustrate our methodologies with a real example.     

Article: 2

Summary. Searching for an effective dimension reduction space is an important problem in regression, especially for high dimensional data. We propose an adaptive approach based on semiparametric models, which we call the (conditional) minimum average variance estimation (MAVE) method, within quite a general setting. The MAVE method has the following advantages. Most existing methods must undersmooth the nonparametric link function estimator to achieve a faster rate of consistency for the estimator of the parameters (than for that of the nonparametric function). In contrast, a faster consistency rate can be achieved by the MAVE method even without undersmoothing the nonparametric link function estimator. The MAVE method is applicable to a wide range of models, with fewer restrictions on the distribution of the covariates, to the extent that even time series can be included. Because of the faster rate of consistency for the parameter estimators, it is possible for us to estimate the dimension of the space consistently. The relationship of the MAVE method with other methods is also investigated. In particular, a simple outer product gradient estimator is proposed as an initial estimator. In addition to theoretical results, we demonstrate the efficacy of the MAVE method for high dimensional data sets through simulation. Two real data sets are analysed by using the MAVE approach.     

The conditional cumulative distribution function in single functional index model

ABSTRACT

We consider the estimation of the conditional cumulative distribution function of a scalar response variable Y given a Hilbertian random variable X when the observations are linked via a single-index structure. We establish the pointwise and the uniform almost complete convergence (with the rate) of the kernel estimate of this model. As an application, we show how our result can be applied in the prediction problem via the conditional median estimate. Also, the choice of the functional index via the cross-validation procedure is also discussed but not attacked.     

A generalized reflection method of boundary correction in kernel density estimation

The kernel method of estimation of curves is now popular and widely used in statistical applications. Kernel estimators suffer from boundary effects, however, when the support of the function to be estimated has finite endpoints. Several solutions to this problem have already been proposed. Here the authors develop a new method of boundary correction for kernel density estimation. Their technique is a kind of generalized reflection involving transformed data. It generates a class of boundary corrected estimators having desirable properties such as local smoothness and nonnegativity. Simulations show that the proposed method performs quite well when compared with the existing methods for almost all shapes of densities. The authors present the theory behind this new methodology, and they determine the bias and variance of their estimators.     

Single-index modelling of conditional probabilities in two-way contingency tables

When analysing a contingency table, it is often worth relating the probabilities that a given individual falls into different cells from a set of predictors. These conditional probabilities are usually estimated using appropriate regression techniques. In particular, in this paper, a semiparametric model is developed. Essentially, it is only assumed that the effect of the vector of covariates on the probabilities can entirely be captured by a single index, which is a linear combination of the initial covariates. The estimation is then twofold: the coefficients of the linear combination and the functions linking this index to the related conditional probabilities have to be estimated. Inspired by the estimation procedures already proposed in the literature for single-index regression models, four estimators of the index coefficients are proposed and compared, from a theoretical point-of-view, but also practically, with the aid of simulations. Estimation of the link functions is also addressed.