A New Kernel Distribution Function Estimator Based on a Non-parametric Transformation of the Data

Abstract.  A new kernel distribution function (df) estimator based on a non-parametric transformation of the data is proposed. It is shown that the asymptotic bias and mean squared error of the estimator are considerably smaller than that of the standard kernel df estimator. For the practical implementation of the new estimator a data-based choice of the bandwidth is proposed. Two possible areas of application are the non-parametric smoothed bootstrap and survival analysis. In the latter case new estimators for the survival function and the mean residual life function are derived.     

Consistent Smooth Bootstrap Kernel Intensity Estimation for Inhomogeneous Spatial Poisson Point Processes

Non‐parametric estimation and bootstrap techniques play an important role in many areas of Statistics. In the point process context, kernel intensity estimation has been limited to exploratory analysis because of its inconsistency, and some consistent alternatives have been proposed. Furthermore, most authors have considered kernel intensity estimators with scalar bandwidths, which can be very restrictive. This work focuses on a consistent kernel intensity estimator with unconstrained bandwidth matrix. We propose a smooth bootstrap for inhomogeneous spatial point processes. The consistency of the bootstrap mean integrated squared error (MISE) as an estimator of the MISE of the consistent kernel intensity estimator proves the validity of the resampling procedure. Finally, we propose a plug‐in bandwidth selection procedure based on the bootstrap MISE and compare its performance with several methods currently used through both as a simulation study and an application to the spatial pattern of wildfires registered in Galicia (Spain) during 2006.     

Local Smoothing Using the Bootstrap

We consider the problem of data-based choice of the bandwidth of a kernel density estimator, with an aim to estimate the density optimally at a given design point. The existing local bandwidth selectors seem to be quite sensitive to the underlying density and location of the design point. For instance, some bandwidth selectors perform poorly while estimating a density, with bounded support, at the median. Others struggle to estimate a density in the tail region or at the trough between the two modes of a multimodal density. We propose a scale invariant bandwidth selection method such that the resulting density estimator performs reliably irrespective of the density or the design point. We choose bandwidth by minimizing a bootstrap estimate of the mean squared error (MSE) of a density estimator. Our bootstrap MSE estimator is different in the sense that we estimate the variance and squared bias components separately. We provide insight into the asymptotic accuracy of the proposed density estimator.     

Nonparametric density estimation based on beta prime kernel

Abstract

In this work, we propose beta prime kernel estimator for estimation of a probability density functions defined with nonnegative support. For the proposed estimator, beta prime probability density function used as a kernel. It is free of boundary bias and nonnegative with a natural varying shape. We obtained the optimal rate of convergence for the mean squared error (MSE) and the mean integrated squared error (MISE). Also, we use adaptive Bayesian bandwidth selection method with Lindley approximation for heavy tailed distributions and compare its performance with the global least squares cross-validation bandwidth selection method. Simulation studies are performed to evaluate the average integrated squared error (ISE) of the proposed kernel estimator against some asymmetric competitors using Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, real data sets are presented to illustrate the findings.     

Variable kernel density estimation

This paper considers the problem of selecting optimal bandwidths for variable (sample‐point adaptive) kernel density estimation. A data‐driven variable bandwidth selector is proposed, based on the idea of approximating the log‐bandwidth function by a cubic spline. This cubic spline is optimized with respect to a cross‐validation criterion. The proposed method can be interpreted as a selector for either integrated squared error (ISE) or mean integrated squared error (MISE) optimal bandwidths. This leads to reflection upon some of the differences between ISE and MISE as error criteria for variable kernel estimation. Results from simulation studies indicate that the proposed method outperforms a fixed kernel estimator (in terms of ISE) when the target density has a combination of sharp modes and regions of smooth undulation. Moreover, some detailed data analyses suggest that the gains in ISE may understate the improvements in visual appeal obtained using the proposed variable kernel estimator. These numerical studies also show that the proposed estimator outperforms existing variable kernel density estimators implemented using piecewise constant bandwidth functions.     

On Variance-Stabilizing Multivariate Non Parametric Regression Estimation

The mean squared error (MSE)-minimizing local variable bandwidth for the univariate local linear estimator (the LL) is well-known. This bandwidth does not stabilize variance over the domain. Moreover, in regions where a regression function has zero curvature, the LL estimator is discontinuous. In this paper, we propose a variance-stabilizing (VS) local variable diagonal bandwidth matrix for the multivariate LL estimator. Theoretically, the VS bandwidth can outperform the multivariate extension of the MSE-minimizing local variable scalar bandwidth in terms of asymptotic mean integrated squared error and can avoid discontinuity created by the MSE-minimizing bandwidth. We present an algorithm for estimating the VS bandwidth and simulation studies.     

Smoothed bootstrap bandwidth selection for nonparametric hazard rate estimation

A smoothed bootstrap method is presented for the purpose of bandwidth selection in nonparametric hazard rate estimation for iid data. In this context, two new bootstrap bandwidth selectors are established based on the exact expression of the bootstrap version of the mean integrated squared error of some approximations of the kernel hazard rate estimator. This is very useful since Monte Carlo approximation is no longer needed for the implementation of the two bootstrap selectors. A simulation study is carried out in order to show the empirical performance of the new bootstrap bandwidths and to compare them with other existing selectors. The methods are illustrated by applying them to a diabetes data set.     

Asymptotic Behavior of the Hazard Rate Kernel Estimator Under Truncated and Censored Data

In this article, we give the asymptotic mean integrated squared error and the mean squared error for the kernel estimator of the hazard rate from truncated and censored data. Martingale techniques and combinatory calculus are used to obtain these results. A probability bound and the optimal bandwidth choice are also given.     

Importance resampling for the smoothed bootstrap

Alternative methods of estimating properties of unknown distributions include the bootstrap and the smoothed bootstrap. In the standard bootstrap setting, Johns (1988) introduced an importance resam¬pling procedure that results in more accurate approximation to the bootstrap estimate of a distribution function or a quantile. With a suitable “exponential tilting” similar to that used by Johns, we derived a smoothed version of importance resampling in the framework of the smoothed bootstrap. Smoothed importance resampling procedures were developed for the estimation of distribution functions of the Studentized mean, the Studentized variance, and the correlation coefficient. Implementation of these procedures are presented via simulation results which concentrate on the problem of estimation of distribution functions of the Studentized mean and Studentized variance for different sample sizes and various pre-specified smoothing bandwidths for the normal data; additional simulations were conducted for the estimation of quantiles of the distribution of the Studentized mean under an optimal smoothing bandwidth when the original data were simulated from three different parent populations: lognormal, t(3) and t(10). These results suggest that in cases where it is advantageous to use the smoothed bootstrap rather than the standard bootstrap, the amount of resampling necessary might be substantially reduced by the use of importance resampling methods and the efficiency gains depend on the bandwidth used in the kernel density estimation.     

A composite quantile function estimator with applications in bootstrapping

In this note we define a composite quantile function estimator in order to improve the accuracy of the classical bootstrap procedure in small sample setting. The composite quantile function estimator employs a parametric model for modelling the tails of the distribution and uses the simple linear interpolation quantile function estimator to estimate quantiles lying between 1/(n+1) and n/(n+1). The method is easily programmed using standard software packages and has general applicability. It is shown that the composite quantile function estimator improves the bootstrap percentile interval coverage for a variety of statistics and is robust to misspecification of the parametric component. Moreover, it is also shown that the composite quantile function based approach surprisingly outperforms the parametric bootstrap for a variety of small sample situations.     

Exact mean integrated squared error and bandwidth selection for kernel distribution function estimators

Abstract

An exact, closed form, and easy to compute expression for the mean integrated squared error (MISE) of a kernel estimator of a normal mixture cumulative distribution function is derived for the class of arbitrary order Gaussian-based kernels. Comparisons are made with MISE of the empirical distribution function, the infeasible minimum MISE, and the uniform kernel. A simple plug-in method of simultaneously selecting the optimal bandwidth and kernel order is proposed based on a non asymptotic approximation of the unknown distribution by a normal mixture. A simulation study shows that the method provides a viable alternative to existing bandwidth selection procedures.     

On the mean squared error of nonparametric quantile estimators under random right-censorship

For randomly right-censored data, new asymptotic expressions for the mean squared errors of the product-limit quantile estimator and a kernel-type quantile estimator are presented in this paper. From these results a comparison of the two quantile estimators with respect to their mean squared errors is given.     

Kernel density estimation under negative superadditive dependence and its application for real data

In this paper, the kernel density estimator for negatively superadditive dependent random variables is studied. The exponential inequalities and the exponential rate for the kernel estimator of density function with a uniform version, over compact sets are investigated. Also, the optimal bandwidth rate of the estimator is obtained using mean integrated squared error. The results are generalized and used to improve the ones obtained for the case of associated sequences. As an application, FGM sequences that fulfil our assumptions are investigated. Also, the convergence rate of the kernel density estimator is illustrated via a simulation study. Moreover, a real data analysis is presented.     

Some results on random design regression with long memory errors and predictors

This paper studies nonparametric regression with long memory (LRD) errors and predictors. First, we formulate general conditions which guarantee the standard rate of convergence for a nonparametric kernel estimator. Second, we calculate the mean integrated squared error (MISE). In particular, we show that LRD of errors may influence MISE. On the other hand, an estimator for a shape function is typically not influenced by LRD in errors. Finally, we investigate properties of a data-driven bandwidth choice. We show that averaged squared error (ASE) is a good approximation of MISE; however, this is not the case for a cross-validation criterion.     

Bias reduction for high quantiles

High quantile estimation is of importance in risk management. For a heavy-tailed distribution, estimating a high quantile is done via estimating the tail index. Reducing the bias in a tail index estimator can be achieved by using either the same order or a larger order of number of the upper order statistics in comparison with the theoretical optimal one in the classical tail index estimator. For the second approach, one can either estimate all parameters simultaneously or estimate the first and second order parameters separately. Recently, the first method and the second method via external estimators for the second order parameter have been applied to reduce the bias in high quantile estimation. Theoretically, the second method obviously gives rise to a smaller order of asymptotic mean squared error than the first one. In this paper we study the second method with simultaneous estimation of all parameters for reducing bias in high quantile estimation.     

On the error term in bahadur's representation of an order statistic

Bahadur (1966) presented a representation of an order statistic, giving its asymptotic distribution and the rate of convergence, under weak assumptions on the density function of the parent distribution. In this paper we consider the mean(squared) deviation of the error term in Bahadur’s approximation of the q th sample quantile (q_n ). We derive a uniform bound on the mean (squared) deviation of q_n , not depending on the value of q. An application of the given result provides the corresponding result for a kernel type estimator of the q th quantile.     

One-sided trimming in small samples with asymmetric contamination

An estimator for location, given a sample of only four or five observations, is proposed. The underlying distribution on of the sample may (with probability p) be contaminated by an outlier from a rightly-skewed distribution. The estimator minimizes the maximum mean squared error over all values of p. In fact, there exists an estimator which is unbiased in both the outlier - free and extreme-outlier cases, but its mean square error is substantially higher than the mean squared error for the minimax estimator. Mean squared errors for various underlying distributional situations are calculated and compared with those of other location estimators such as the mean and the median.     

A new linearized ridge Poisson estimator in the presence of multicollinearity

Poisson regression is a very commonly used technique for modeling the count data in applied sciences, in which the model parameters are usually estimated by the maximum likelihood method. However, the presence of multicollinearity inflates the variance of maximum likelihood (ML) estimator and the estimated parameters give unstable results. In this article, a new linearized ridge Poisson estimator is introduced to deal with the problem of multicollinearity. Based on the asymptotic properties of ML estimator, the bias, covariance and mean squared error of the proposed estimator are obtained and the optimal choice of shrinkage parameter is derived. The performance of the existing estimators and proposed estimator is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations and two real data applications. The results clearly reveal that the proposed estimator outperforms the existing estimators in the mean squared error sense.KEYWORDS: Poisson regression, multicollinearity, ridge Poisson estimator, linearized ridge regression estimator, mean squared errorMathematics Subject Classifications: 62J07, 62F10     

On MISE of a Non linear Wavelet Estimator of the Regression Function Based on Biased Data under Strong Mixing

In this paper, we consider the adaptation of the non linear wavelet-based estimator of the regression function for the biased data setup under strong mixing. We provide an asymptotic sharp bound for the mean integrated squared error (MISE) of the estimator, that is nearly optimal in the minimax sense over a large range of Besov function classes.