Estimation in the Three-Parameter Gamma Distribution Based on the Profile Log-Likelihood Function

In this article, we express the profile log-likelihood function for the three-parameter gamma distribution in terms of the location parameter only and we study its properties. The behavior of the profile function is examined as the location parameter tends to the boundary values, i.e., to ? ∞ and to the minimum value of the sample. As a result, we obtain that if the log-likelihood function has a local maximum then it has another stationary value which is a saddle point. The results are supported with the use of simulation results.     

A Consistent Method of Estimation For The Three-Parameter Gamma Distribution

For the three-parameter gamma distribution, it is known that the method of moments as well as the maximum likelihood method have difficulties such as non-existence in some range of the parameters, convergence problems, and large variability. For this reason, in this article, we propose a method of estimation based on a transformation involving order statistics from the sample. In this method, the estimates always exist uniquely over the entire parameter space, and the estimators also have consistency over the entire parameter space. The bias and mean squared error of the estimators are also examined by means of a Monte Carlo simulation study, and the empirical results show the small-sample superiority in addition to the desirable large sample properties.     

Generalized Inverse Gamma Distribution and its Application in Reliability

In this article, we introduce a new reliability model of inverse gamma distribution referred to as the generalized inverse gamma distribution (GIG). A generalization of inverse gamma distribution is defined based on the exact form of generalized gamma function of Kobayashi (1991). This function is useful in many problems of diffraction theory and corrosion problems in new machines. The new distribution has a number of lifetime special sub-models. For this model, some of its statistical properties are studied. The method of maximum likelihood is used for estimating the model parameters and the observed information matrix is derived. We also demonstrate the usefulness of this distribution on a real data set.     

A Note on Bias of Closed-Form Estimators for the Gamma Distribution Derived From Likelihood Equations

We discuss here an alternative approach for decreasing the bias of the closed-form estimators for the gamma distribution recently proposed by Ye and Chen in 2017. We show that, the new estimator has also closed-form expression, is positive, and can be computed for n?>?2. Moreover, the corrective approach returns better estimates when compared with the former ones.     

Closed-Form Estimators for the Gamma Distribution Derived From Likelihood Equations

It is well-known that maximum likelihood (ML) estimators of the two parameters in a gamma distribution do not have closed forms. This poses difficulties in some applications such as real-time signal processing using low-grade processors. The gamma distribution is a special case of a generalized gamma distribution. Surprisingly, two out of the three likelihood equations of the generalized gamma distribution can be used as estimating equations for the gamma distribution, based on which simple closed-form estimators for the two gamma parameters are available. Intuitively, performance of the new estimators based on likelihood equations should be close to the ML estimators. The study consolidates this conjecture by establishing the asymptotic behaviors of the new estimators. In addition, the closed-forms enable bias-corrections to these estimators. The bias-correction significantly improves the small-sample performance.     

On a Family of Trimodal Distributions

In this article, a family of trimodal distributions is presented. The distributional properties and some of the inferential aspects of this family of trimodal distributions are discussed. We propose a moment based estimator as well as a maximum likelihood estimator of the parameters. A numerical simulation is conducted to evaluate the finite sample performances of the proposed estimators. A real data example is analyzed for illustration.     

Bayesian Estimation of the Two-Parameter Gamma Distribution

In this article, we present and discuss an original price index being a special case of a general formula for price indices. We show that the discussed formula satisfies most postulates coming from the axiomatic price index theory. We compare this index to other known and popular price indices in a simulation study.     

Estimation of parameters and the mean life of a mixed failure time distribution

This paper deals with estimation of parameters and the mean life of a mixed failure time distribution that has a discrete probability mass at zero and an exponential distribution with mean O for positive values. A new sampling scheme similar to Jayade and Prasad (1990) is proposed for estimation of parameters. We derive expressions for biases and mean square errors (MSEs) of the maximum likelihood estimators (MLEs). We also obtain the uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators (UMVUEs) of the parameters. We compare the estimator of O and mean life fj based on the proposed sampling scheme with the estimators obtained by using the sampling scheme of Jayade and Prasad (1990).     

Suitable Algorithm Associated with a Parameterization for the Three-Parameter Log-Normal Distribution

Associated with a parameterization for the three-parameter lognormal distribution, an algorithm was proposed by Komori and Hirose, which can find a local maximum likelihood (ML) estimate surely if it exists. Nevertheless, by Vera and Díaz-García it was shown that performance in finding a local ML estimate deteriorated by adopting the parameterization only and using other algorithm. In the present article, it will be shown that Komori and Hirose’s algorithm should be used for the parameterization. This work will also give MATLAB codes as a useful tool for the parameter estimation of the distribution.     

Testing the Fit of Gamma Distributions Using the Empirical Moment Generating Function

ABSTRACT

This article presents goodness-of-fit tests for two and three-parameter gamma distributions that are based on minimum quadratic forms of standardized logarithmic differences of values of the moment generating function and its empirical counterpart. The test statistics can be computed without reliance to special functions and have asymptotic chi-squared distributions. Monte Carlo simulations are used to compare the proposed test for the two-parameter gamma distribution with goodness-of-fit tests employing empirical distribution function or spacing statistics. Two data sets are used to illustrate the various tests.     

A Finite Mixture Three-Parameter Weibull Model for the Analysis of Wind Speed Data

This article presents a mixture three-parameter Weibull distribution to model wind speed data. The parameters are estimated by using maximum likelihood (ML) method in which the maximization problem is regarded as a nonlinear programming with only inequality constraints and is solved numerically by the interior-point method. By applying this model to four lattice-point wind speed sequences extracted from National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis data, it is observed that the mixture three-parameter Weibull distribution model proposed in this paper provides a better fit than the existing Weibull models for the analysis of wind speed data under study.     

MLE Solution Research for a Certain Kind of Two-dimensional Lognormal Distribution Function

Aimed at the puzzle that it is hardly possible to solve maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) of two-dimensional lognormal distribution function directly, the paper presents a novel solution based on extremum equivalent conversion. The puzzle could be transformed to solve the extremum of an equivalent function about independent variable, and then mathematical expression of the extremum was obtained by conventional differential method. Take the study on location in wireless sensor network as an example. The research shows that the method can obviously reduce difficulty of the puzzle and the algorithm complexity, so the presented method provides an effective solution for similar problems.     

A Note on the Innovation Distribution of a Gamma Distributed Autoregressive Process

A representation of the innovation random variable for a gamma distributed first-order autoregressive process was found by Lawrance (1982) in the form of a compound Poisson distribution, connected with a shot-noise process. In this note we simplify the representation of Lawrance by providing a direct representation in terms of density functions.     

Estimation of the Parameters of Type-I Generalized Logistic Distribution Using Order Statistics

In this work, we propose a technique of estimating the location parameter μ and scale parameter σ of Type-I generalized logistic distribution by U-statistics constructed by using best linear functions of order statistics as kernels. The efficiency comparison of the proposed estimators with respect to maximum likelihood estimators is also made.     

Nonparametric (smoothed) likelihood and integral equations

We show that there is an intimate connection between the theory of nonparametric (smoothed) maximum likelihood estimators for certain inverse problems and integral equations. This is illustrated by estimators for interval censoring and deconvolution problems. We also discuss the asymptotic efficiency of the MLE for smooth functionals in these models.     

Asymptotic Distribution of the Maximum Likelihood Estimators of the Parameters of the Right-Truncated Dagum Distribution

In this work we have determined the asymptotic distribution of the maximum likelihood estimators of the parameters β, λ, and δ for the right-truncated Dagum model. Some numerical comparisons show that, for each combination of the parameters and for each sample size, the variance of maximum likelihood estimators increases as the truncation point decreases, i.e., with the increase in the cut of the right tail of distribution.     

Algorithmic Inference of Two-Parameter Gamma Distribution

We provide an estimation procedure of the two-parameter Gamma distribution based on the Algorithmic Inference approach. As a key feature of this approach, we compute the joint probability distribution of these parameters without assuming any prior. To this end, we propose a numerical algorithm which is often beneficial of a highly efficient speed up based on an approximate analytical expression of the probability distribution. We contrast our interval and point estimates with those recently obtained in Son and Oh (2006 Son , Y. S. , Oh , M. ( 2006 ). Bayesian estimation of the two-parameter gamma distribution . Communications in Statistics – Simulation and Computation 35 : 285 – 293 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) for the same problem. From this benchmark we realize that our estimates are both unbiased and more accurate, albeit more dispersed, in some cases, than the competitors' methods, where the dispersion drawback is notably mitigated w.r.t. Bayesian methods by a greater estimate decorrelation. We also briefly discuss the theoretical novelty of the adopted inference paradigm which actually represents a brush up on a Fisher perspective dating to almost a century, made feasible today by the available computational tools.     

Efficient Estimation of Parameters of the Negative Binomial Distribution

In this article we investigate a class of moment-based estimators, called power method estimators, which can be almost as efficient as maximum likelihood estimators and achieve a lower asymptotic variance than the standard zero term method and method of moments estimators. We investigate different methods of implementing the power method in practice and examine the robustness and efficiency of the power method estimators.     

On a Correction of the Scale MLE for a Two-Parameter Exponential Distribution Under Progressive Type-I Censoring

In this article, we present a corrected version of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) of the scale parameter with progressively Type-I censored data from a two-parameter exponential distribution. Furthermore, we propose a bias correction of both the location and scale MLE. The properties of the estimates are analyzed by a simulation study which also illustrates the effect of the correction. Moreover, the presented estimators are applied to two data sets. Finally, it is shown that the correction of the scale estimator is also necessary for other distributions with a finite left endpoint of support (e.g., three-parameter Weibull distributions).     

Estimation for the Generalized Pareto Distribution Using Maximum Likelihood and Goodness of Fit

In this article, we introduce a new estimator for the generalized Pareto distribution, which is based on the maximum likelihood estimation and the goodness of fit. The asymptotic normality of the new estimator is shown and a small simulation. From the simulation, the performance of the new estimator is roughly comparable with maximum likelihood for positive values of the shape parameter and often much better than maximum likelihood for negative values.