Maximum and Minimum Prediction Variance for Spherical and Cuboidal Split Plot Designs

The impact of restricted randomization on the information matrix has created challenges for the computation of design optimality criteria. This article focuses on the computation of the maximum and minimum prediction variance for Central Composite (CCD) and Box–Behnken (BBD) split plot designs (SPD). The approach is to analytically determine the exact maximum and minimum prediction variance for both spherical and cuboidal second-order SPD. A particular feature of these analytical functions is that they are functions of the design parameters. Finally, the application of these analytical functions is demonstrated for a CCD SPD.     

An investigation of first-order and second-order designs for extrapolation outside a hypersphere

Methods for selecting a first-order or second-order rotatable response surface design when both variance and bias error exist are applied to a situation in which it is desired to extrapolate the fitted model in all directions outside of a sphere within which all the experiments are to be made. The extrapolation region is a spherical shell.     

Augmented Box-Behnken Designs for Fitting Third-Order Response Surfaces

Box-Behnken designs are popular with experimenters who wish to estimate a second-order model, due to their having three levels, their simplicity and their high efficiency for the second-order model. However, there are situations in which the model is inadequate due to lack of fit caused by higher-order terms. These designs have little ability to estimate third-order terms. Using combinations of factorial points, axial points, and complementary design points, we augment these designs and develop catalogues of third-order designs for 3–12 factors. These augmented designs can be used to estimate the parameters of a third-order response surface model. Since the aim is to make the most of a situation in which the experiment was designed for an inadequate model, the designs are clearly suboptimal and not rotatable for the third-order model, but can still provide useful information.     

Minimum,maximum, and average spherical prediction variances for central composite and box-behnken designs

Single value design optimality criteria are often considered when selecting a response surface design. An alternative to a single value criterion is to evaluate prediction variance properties throughout the experimental region and to graphically display the results in a variance dispersion graph (VDG) (Giovannitti-Jensen and Myers (1989)). Three properties of interest are the spherical average, maximum, and minimum prediction variances. Currently, a computer-intensive optimization algorithm is utilized to evaluate these prediction variance properties. It will be shown that the average, maximum, and minimum spherical prediction variances for central composite designs and Box-Behnken designs can be derived analytically. These three prediction variances can be expressed as functions of the radius and the design parameters. These functions provide exact spherical prediction variance values eliminating the implementation of extensive computing involving algorithms which do not guarantee convergence. This research is concerned with the theoretical development of these analytical forms. Results are presented for hyperspherical and hypercuboidal regions.     

Minimax Design for the Difference Between Estimated Responses for the Quadratic Model Over Hypercubic Regions

Abstract

A second-order model involving the intercept and only the pure quadratic terms is considered for regression over hypercubes. Minimization of the variance of the difference between estimated responses at two points, maximized over all pairs of points in the region of interest in factor space, is taken as the design criterion. Optimal design under the minimax criterion is derived and found to be the one which is also simultaneously A-, D-, and E-optimal for the parameters excluding the intercept. The minimax design is compared with other standard designs and is found to perform extremely well.     

D-minimax Second-order Designs Over Hypercubes for Extrapolation and Restricted Interpolation Regions

The D-minimax criterion for estimating slopes of a response surface involving k factors is considered for situations where the experimental region χ and the region of interest ? are co-centered cubes but not necessarily identical. Taking χ = [ ? 1, 1]^k and ? = [ ? R, R]^k, optimal designs under the criterion for the full second-order model are derived for various values of R and their relative performances investigated. The asymptotically optimal design as R → ∞ is also derived and investigated. In addition, the optimal designs within the class of product designs are obtained. In the asymptotic case it is found that the optimal product design is given by a solution of a cubic equation that reduces to a quadratic equation for k = 3?and?6. Relative performances of various designs obtained are examined. In particular, the optimal asymptotic product design and the traditional D-optimal design are compared and it is found that the former performs very well.     

On d- and e- minimax optimal designs for estimating the axial slopes of a second-order response surface over hypercubic regions

Design of experiments for estimating the slopes of a response surface is considered. Design criteria analogous to the traditional ones but based upon the variance-covariance matrix of the estimated slopes along factor axes are proposed. Optimal designs under the proposed criteria are derived for second-order polynomial regression over hypercubic regions. Best de¬signs within some commonly used classes of designs are also obtained and their efficiencies are investigated.     

Modified Robust Second-Order Slope-Rotatable Designs

Generally it is very difficult to construct robust slope-rotatable designs along axial directions. Present paper focuses on modified second-order slope-rotatable designs (SOSRDs) with correlated errors. Modified robust second-order slope-rotatability conditions are derived for a general variance–covariance structure of errors. These conditions get simplified for intraclass correlation structure. A few robust second-order slope-rotatable designs (over all directions, or with equal maximum directional variance slope, or D-optimal slope) are examined with respect to modified robust slope-rotatability. It is observed that robust second-order slope-rotatable designs over all directions, or with equal maximum directional variance slope, or D-optimal slope are not generally modified robust second-order slope-rotatable designs.     

Universal optimality of experimental designs: Definitions and a criterion

Several definitions of universal optimality of experimental designs are found in the Literature; we discuss the interrelations of these definitions using a recent characterization due to Friedland of convex functions of matrices. An easily checked criterion is given for a design to satisfy the main definition of universal optimality; this criterion says that a certain set of linear functions of the eigenvalues of the information matrix is maximized by the information matrix of a design if and only if that design is universally optimal. Examples are given; in particular we show that any universally optimal design is (M, S)-optimal in the sense of K. Shah.     

Optimal and efficient crossover designs for comparing test treatments to a control treatment under various models

We study the optimality, efficiency, and robustness of crossover designs for comparing several test treatments to a control treatment. Since A-optimality is a natural criterion in this context, we establish lower bounds for the trace of the inverse of the information matrix for the test treatments versus control comparisons under various models. These bounds are then used to obtain lower bounds for efficiencies of a design under these models. Two algorithms, both guided by these efficiencies and results from optimal design theory, are proposed for obtaining efficient designs under the various models.     

A-Optimal Block Designs with Additional Singly Replicated Treatments

Block designs to which have been added a number of singly-replicated treatments, known as secondary treatments, are particularly useful for experiments where only small amounts of material are available for some treatments, for example new plant varieties. The designs are of particular use in the microarray situation. Such designs are known as 'augmented designs'. This paper obtains the properties of these designs and shows that, with an equal number of secondary treatments in each block, the A-optimal design is obtained by using the A-optimal design for the original block design. It develops formulae for the variance of treatment comparisons, for both the primary and the secondary treatments. A number of examples are used to illustrate the results.     

Interruptible supersaturated two-level designs

Interruptible designs possess a robustness against possible premature termination of an experiment. We consider such two-level designs for a first-order model and present interruptible sequences which lead to the D-optimal saturated design for four to nine factors if not interrupted. Premature termination of the experiment at any stage results in a supersaturated design with minimum loss of information about the factors. The loss for these designs, which is measured by the pairwise orthogonality between columns, is compared with that of the worst case f o r randomly ordered sequences.     

Estimating standard error of intra-class correlation coefficients up to three level unbalanced nested clinical trials

ABSTRACT

Very often researchers plan a balanced design for cluster randomization clinical trials in conducting medical research, but unavoidable circumstances lead to unbalanced data. By adopting three or more levels of nested designs, they usually ignore the higher level of nesting and consider only two levels, this situation leads to underestimation of variance at higher levels. While calculating the sample size for three-level nested designs, in order to achieve desired power, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) at individual level as well as higher levels need to be considered and must be provided along with respective standard errors. In the present paper, the standard errors of analysis of variance (ANOVA) estimates of ICCs for three-level unbalanced nested design are derived. To conquer the strong appeal of distributional assumptions, balanced design, equality of variances between clusters and large sample, general expressions for standard errors of ICCs which can be deployed in unbalanced cluster randomization trials are postulated. The expressions are evaluated on real data as well as highly unbalanced simulated data.     

On the distribution of products of independent beta variates

This paper concerns an inquiry into the problem of generating closed form expressions for the cumulative distribution and probability density functions of products of independent beta variates. Recursive analytical procedures for constructing the equational forms of these functions-from their Mellin inversion integral representations, via the Cauchy residue theorem-are described. A numerical example illustrating details of the construction of a computable form of the distribution function of the product of three independent beta variates is also included.     

Small,balanced, efficient and near rotatable central composite designs

Standard central composite designs for fitting second-order models usually have a large number of design points, especially when the number of factors under consideration is large. In this paper we propose small, balanced and near rotatable central composite designs reducing the design's size and maintaining the ability to estimate all the model parameters. We list the best designs we identified to accommodate 4?k?9$4?k?9$ experimental factors. A detailed comparison between our findings and already known second-order designs has also been made.     

Fourth order rotatability

Fourth order rotatable designs are discussed. A general k, design moment inequality is given. The variance function for two-factor designs is derived, and plotted for a specific design. A minimum point set requirement for two-factor designs is established, thus enabling one to form an infinity of such designs. Some difficulties in obtaining deLigns for k>2 are described. Some questions are posed for future work.     

Saddlepoint approximations for subordinator processes

ABSTRACT

We develop the saddlepoint approximations in obtaining the transition functions for general subordinator processes. We derive explicit expressions of the first- and second-order approximations. Specifically, we consider some particular classes of subordinators including the Poisson processes, the Gamma processes, the α-stable subordinators, and the Poisson random integrals. We test this technique on the Poisson and Gamma processes, which have closed-form transition functions. Outcomes show that the approximate expressions are consistent with the true transition functions. We then use this method to predict transition density functions for the α-stable subordinator processes. Finally, we calculate approximated transition densities for some Poisson random integrations. Numerical analysis shows the perfect ability of the saddlepoint approximations to predict the transition densities of the α-stable processes and the Poisson random integrations.     

Example of Block Designs for Plant and Tree Breeding Trials

Experimental designs which use extensive blocking and which are particularly useful in plant and tree breeding trials are discussed. They can be constructed either to accommodate field restrictions or take advantage of favourable plot layouts. Computer software is available to generate these design types for use in practice. Examples cover latinized row-column designs, t -latinized and partially-latinized designs and designs with unequal block sizes.     

Partially-latinized designs

An interchange optimization algorithm to construct partially-latinized designs is described. The objective function is a weighted linear combination of up to five functions, each of which corresponds to a blocking factor of the required design. Nested simulated annealing is used to address local optima problems. The average efficiency factors of the generated designs are assessed against theoretical upper bounds.     

Construction of Balanced Incomplete Block Designs Using Cyclic Shifts

Balanced incomplete block designs (BIBDs) play important role in design of experiments, especially in field experiments. These designs ensure that treatments are compared with equal precision. Several methods are available in the literature to construct BIBDs but in this article some infinite series of these designs are presented by method of cyclic shifts. This method expresses some standard properties of a design just through examining the sets of shifts rather than studying the whole design.