A zero-one law for large order statistics

Fix r ≥ 1, and let {M_nr} be the rth largest of {X₁,X₂,…X_n}, where X₁,X₂,… is a sequence of i.i.d. random variables with distribution function F. It is proved that P[M_nr ≤ u_n i.o.] = 0 or 1 according as the series Σ^∞_n=3Fⁿ(u_n)(log log n)^r/n converges or diverges, for any real sequence {u_n} such that n{1 -F(u_n)} is nondecreasing and divergent. This generalizes a result of Bamdorff-Nielsen (1961) in the case r = 1.     

Bayes and Empirical Bayes Two-Stage Procedures for Sampling Inspection

A batch of M items is inspected for defectives. Suppose there are d defective items in the batch. Let d ₀ be a given standard used to evaluate the quality of the population where 0 < d ₀ < M. The problem of testing H ₀: d < d ₀ versus H ₁: d ≥ d ₀ is considered. It is assumed that past observations are available when the current testing problem is considered. Accordingly, the empirical Bayes approach is employed. By using information obtained from the past data, an empirical Bayes two-stage testing procedure is developed. The associated asymptotic optimality is investigated. It is proved that the rate of convergence of the empirical Bayes two-stage testing procedure is of order O (exp(? c? n)), for some constant c? > 0, where n is the number of past observations at hand.     

Nonparametric comparison of curves with dependent errors

Suppose that data {(x _l,i,n , y _l,i,n ): l?=?1, …, k; i?=?1, …, n} are observed from the regression models: Y _l,i,n ?=?m _l (x _l,i,n )?+?? _l,i,n , l?=?1, …, k, where the regression functions {m _l } _l=1 ^k are unknown and the random errors {? _l,i,n } are dependent, following an MA(∞) structure. A new test is proposed for testing the hypothesis H ₀: m ₁?=?·?·?·?=?m _k , without assuming that {m _l } _l=1 ^k are in a parametric family. The criterion of the test derives from a Crámer-von-Mises-type functional based on different distances between {[mcirc]} _l and {[mcirc]} _s , l?≠?s, l, s?=?1, …, k, where {[mcirc] _l } _l=1 ^k are nonparametric Gasser–Müller estimators of {m _l } _l=1 ^k . A generalization of the test to the case of unequal design points, with different sample sizes {n _l } _l=1 ^k and different design densities {f _l } _l=1 ^k , is also considered. The asymptotic normality of the test statistic is obtained under general conditions. Finally, a simulation study and an analysis with real data show a good behavior of the proposed test.     

EMPIRICAL BAYES ESTIMATION WITH NON-IDENTICAL COMPONENTS. CONTINUOUS CASE.

In this paper a variant of the standard empirical Bayes estimation problem is considered where the component problems in the sequence are not identical in that the conditional distribution of the observations may vary with the component problems. Let {(Θ_n, X_n)} be a sequence of independent random vectors where Θ_n? G and, given Θ_n=Θ_n, X_n -P_Θ,m(n) with {m(n)} a sequence of positive integers where m(n)≤m? < ∞ for all n. With P_Θ,m in a continuous exponential family of distributions, asymptotically optimal empirical Bayes procedures are exhibited which depend on uniform approximations of certain functions on compact sets by polynomials in e^Θ. Such approximations have been explicitly calculated in the case of normal and gamma families. In the case of normal families, asymptotically optimal linear empirical Bayes estimators in the class of all linear estimators are derived and shown to have rate O(n^-1/2).     

On Thresholds of Moving Averages with Given On-Target Significant Levels

Let X ₁, X ₂,… be a sequence of independent and identically distributed random variables, and let Y _n , n = K, K + 1, K + 2,… be the corresponding backward moving average of order K. At epoch n ≥ K, the process Y _n will be off target by the input X _n if it exceeds a threshold. By introducing a two-state Markov chain, we define a level of significance (1 ? a)% to be the percentage of times that the moving average process stays on target. We establish a technique to evaluate, or estimate, a threshold, to guarantee that {Y _n } will stay (1 ? a)% of times on target, for a given (1 ? a)%. It is proved that if the distribution of the inputs is exponential or normal, then the threshold will be a linear function in the mean of the distribution of inputs μ _X . The slope and intercept of the line, in each case, are specified. It is also observed that for the gamma inputs, the threshold is merely linear in the reciprocal of the scale parameter. These linear relationships can be easily applied to estimate the desired thresholds by samples from the inputs.     

Empirical Bayes testing for guarantee lifetime: Non identical components case

This article considers an empirical Bayes testing problem for the guarantee lifetime in the two-parameter exponential distributions with non identical components. We study a method of constructing empirical Bayes tests under a class of unknown prior distributions for the sequence of the component testing problems. The asymptotic optimality of the sequence of empirical Bayes tests is studied. Under certain regularity conditions on the prior distributions, it is shown that the sequence of the constructed empirical Bayes tests is asymptotically optimal, and the associated sequence of regrets converges to zero at a rate O(n^{? 1 + 1/[2(r + α) + 1]}) for some integer r ? 0 and 0 ? α ? 1 depending on the unknown prior distributions, where n is the number of past data available when the (n + 1)st component testing problem is considered.     

Strict stationarity of ar(p) processes generated by nonlinear random functions with additive perturbations

Let {X_n} be a generalized autoregressive process of order ρ defined by X_n=Φ_n(X_n-ρ,…,X_n-1)-η_m, where {φ_n} is a sequence of i.i.d. random maps taking values on H, and {η_n} is a sequence of i.i.d. random variables. Let H be a collection of Borel measurable functions on R_P to R. By considering the associated Markov process, we obtain sufficient conditions for stationarity, (geometric) ergodicity of {X_n}.     

Statistical Discrimination Analysis Using the Maximum Function

The maximum of k functions defined on R ⁿ , n ≥ 1, by f _max (x) = max{f ₁ (x),…, f _k (x)}, ? x ? R ⁿ , can have important roles in Statistics, particularly in Classification. Through its relation with the Bayes error, which is the reference error in classification, it can serve to compute numerical bounds for errors in other classification schemes. It can also serve to define the joint L¹-distance between more than two densities, which, in turn, will serve as a useful tool in Classification and Cluster Analyses. It has a vast potential application in digital image processing too. Finally, its versatile role can be seen in several numerical examples, related to the analysis of Fisher's classical iris data in multidimensional spaces.     

Sequential Estimation of Expectations in the Presence of Trend2

A sequence of independent random variables {Z_n:n≥ 1} with unknown probability distributions is considered and the problem of estimating their expectations {M_n+1: n≥ 1} is examined. The estimation of M_n+1 is based on a finite set {z_k:1≤k≤n}, each z_k being an observed value of Z_k, 1 ≤k≤n, and also based on the assumption that {M_n:n≥ 1} follows an unknown trend of a specified form.     

A RENEWAL THEOREM IN MULTIDIMENSIONAL TIME

Let Y_l, Y₂,… be i.i.d., positive, integer-valued random variables with means, μ. Let the sequences {Y_ij, j= 1,2,…}, i= 1,…, r be independent copies of {Y₁, Y₂,…}. For n={n₁,…, n_r.}, n₁≥1, let S_n=S?ⁿ¹_k1=1= 1 …S?^nr_kr=1 Y_ik1… Y_rkr. We show that S?^N_k=1S?^∞_k1=1…S?^∞_nr=1 P[[S_n= k] ? [μ^-r N log^r-1 (N)/(r-1)!] as N →∞.     

Empirical bayes tests in a positive exponential family with partial information on priors

We investigate an empirical Bayes testing problem in a positive exponential family having pdf f{x/θ)=c(θ)u(x) exp(?x/θ), x>0, θ>0. It is assumed that θ is in some known compact interval [C₁, C₂]. The value C₁ is used in the construction of the proposed empirical Bayes test δ^* _n. The asymptotic optimality and rate of convergence of its associated Bayes risk is studied. It is shown that under the assumption that θ is in [C₁, C₂] δ^* _n is asymptotically optimal at a rate of convergence of order O(n^?1/n n). Also, δ^* _n is robust in the sense that δ^* _n still possesses the asymptotic optimality even the assumption that "C₁≦θ≦C₂ may not hold.     

Stochastic Comparisons and Dependence of Spacings from Two Samples of Exponential Random Variables

Let X ₁,X ₂,…,X _n be independent exponential random variables such that X _i has hazard rate λ for i = 1,…,p and X _j has hazard rate λ* for j = p + 1,…,n, where 1 ≤ p < n. Denote by D _i:n (λ, λ*) = X _i:n  ? X _i?1:n the ith spacing of the order statistics X _1:n  ≤ X _2:n  ≤ ··· ≤ X _n:n , i = 1,…,n, where X _0:n ≡ 0. It is shown that the spacings (D _1,n ,D _2,n ,…,D _n:n ) are MTP₂, strengthening one result of Khaledi and Kochar (2000), and that (D _1:n (λ₂, λ*),…,D _n:n (λ₂, λ*)) ≤ _lr (D _1:n (λ₁, λ*),…,D _n:n (λ₁, λ*)) for λ₁ ≤ λ* ≤ λ₂, where ≤ _lr denotes the multivariate likelihood ratio order. A counterexample is also given to show that this comparison result is in general not true for λ* < λ₁ < λ₂.     

A Strong Invariance Theorem of the Tail Empirical Copula Processes

We study the behavior of bivariate empirical copula process 𝔾 _n (·, ·) on pavements [0, k _n /n]² of [0, 1]², where k _n is a sequence of positive constants fulfilling some conditions. We provide a upper bound for the strong approximation of 𝔾 _n (·, ·) by a Gaussian process when k _n /n↘γ as n → ∞, where 0 ≤ γ ≤1.     

Some New Results on Likelihood Ratio Orderings for Spacings of Heterogeneous Exponential Random Variables

Let X ₁, X ₂,…, X _n be independent exponential random variables with X _i having failure rate λ _i for i = 1,…, n. Denote by D _i:n  = X _i:n  ? X _i?1:n the ith spacing of the order statistics X _1:n  ≤ X _2:n  ≤ ··· ≤ X _n:n , i = 1,…, n, where X _0:n ≡ 0. It is shown that if λ _n+1 ≤ [≥] λ _k for k = 1,…, n then D _n:n  ≤ _lr D _n+1:n+1 and D _1:n  ≤ _lr D _2:n+1 [D _2:n+1 ≤ _lr D _2:n ], and that if λ _i  + λ _j  ≥ λ _k for all distinct i,j, and k then D _n?1:n  ≤ _lr D _n:n and D _n:n+1 ≤ _lr D _n:n , where ≤ _lr denotes the likelihood ratio order. We also prove that D _1:n  ≤ _lr D _2:n for n ≥ 2 and D _2:3 ≤ _lr D _3:3 for all λ _i 's.     

Empirical Bayes testing for equivalence

For a fixed point θ₀ and a positive value c₀, this paper studies the problem of testing the hypotheses H₀:|θ−θ₀|≤c₀ against H₁:|θ−θ₀|>c₀ for the normal mean parameter θ using the empirical Bayes approach. With the accumulated past data, a monotone empirical Bayes test is constructed by mimicking the behavior of a monotone Bayes test. Such an empirical Bayes test is shown to be asymptotically optimal and its regret converges to zero at a rate (lnn)^2.5/n where n is the number of past data available, when the current testing problem is considered. A simulation study is also given, and the results show that the proposed empirical Bayes procedure has good performance for small to moderately large sample sizes. Our proposed method can be applied for testing close to a control problem or testing the therapeutic equivalence of one standard treatment compared to another in clinical trials.     

Almost Sure Convergence of Weighted Sums for Negatively Associated Random Variables

In this article, let {X₁, …, X_n} be a sequence of negatively associated random variables and {a_ni, 1 ? i ? n, n ? 1} be a triangular array of constants. Several almost sure convergence theorems for the weighted sums ∑ⁿ_{i = 1}a_niX_i are established.     

On a Confidence Interval for the Mean of an Asymmetric Distribution

A clarification is given of the main result (1.1) in Communications in Statistics: Theory and Methods 34:753–766. The term {1 + 6a(r ? a)}^1/3 is to be understood as sgn(1 + 6a(r ? a)) | 1 + 6a(r ? a)|^1/3. The result is expressed in a more user-friendly form. An issue is raised regarding the common usage of the expression x ^1/n when n is even.