Smoothed Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon Procedure for Two-Sample Location Problem

This study is mainly concerned with estimating a shift parameter in the two-sample location problem. The proposed Smoothed Mann–Whitney–Wilcoxon method smooths the empirical distribution functions of each sample by using convolution technique, and it replaces unknown distribution functions F(x) and G(x ? Δ₀) with the new smoothed distribution functions F _s (x) and G _s (x ? Δ₀), respectively. The unknown shift parameter Δ₀ is estimated by solving the gradient function S _n (Δ) with respect to an arbitrary variable Δ. The asymptotic properties of the new estimator are established under some conditions that are similar to the Generalized Wilcoxon procedure proposed by Anderson and Hettmansperger (1996 Anderson , G. F. , Hettmansperger , T. P. ( 1996 ). Generalized Wilcoxon methods for the one and two-sample location models . In: Brunner , E. , Denker , M. , eds. Research Developments in Probability and Statistics: Festschrift in Honor of Madan L. Puri on the Occasion of his 65th Birthday . Zeist, The Netherlands : VSP BV , pp. 303 – 317 . [Google Scholar]). Some of these properties are asymptotic normality, asymptotic level confidence interval, and hypothesis testing for Δ₀. Asymptotic relative efficiency of the proposed method with respect to the least squares, Generalized Wilcoxon and Hodges and Lehmann (1963 Hodges , J. L. , Lehmann , E. L. ( 1963 ). Estimates of location based on rank tests . Ann. Mathemat. Statist. 34 : 598 – 611 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) procedures are also calculated under the contaminated normal model.     

Natural Exponential Families and Generalized Hypergeometric Measures

Let ν be a positive Borel measure on ?ⁿ and _pF_q(a₁,…, a_p; b₁,…, b_q; s) be a generalized hypergeometric series. We define a generalized hypergeometric measure, μ_p,q := _pF_q(a₁,…, a_p; b₁,…, b_q;ν), as a series of convolution powers of the measure ν, and we investigate classes of probability distributions which are expressible as such a measure. We show that the Kemp (1968 Kemp , A. W. ( 1968 ). A wide class of discrete distributions and the associated differential equations . Sankhyā, Ser. A 30 : 401 – 410 . [Google Scholar]) family of distributions is an example of μ_p,q in which ν is a Dirac measure on ?. For the case in which ν is a Dirac measure on ?ⁿ, we relate μ_p,q to the diagonal natural exponential families classified by Bar-Lev et al. (1994 Bar-Lev , S. K. , Bshouty , D. , Enis , P. , Letac , G. , Lu , I. , Richards , D. ( 1994 ). The diagonal natural exponential families on ? ⁿ and their classification . J. Theoret. Probab. 7 : 883 – 929 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]). For p < q, we show that certain measures μ_p,q can be expressed as the convolution of a sequence of independent multi-dimensional Bernoulli trials. For p = q, q + 1, we show that the measures μ_p,q are mixture measures with the Dufresne and Poisson-stopped-sum probability distributions as their mixing measures.     

New Generalizations of Cauchy Distribution

The generalized skew-normal distribution introduced by Balakrishnan (2002 Balakrishnan , N. ( 2002 ). Discussion on ‘Skew multivariate models related to hidden truncation and/or selective reporting’ by B. C. Arnold and R. J. Beaver . Test 11 : 37 – 39 .[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) is used to obtain new generalizations of univariate Cauchy distribution with two parameters, denoted by GC _{m, n} (a, b) with m and n non-negative integer numbers and a, b ∈ R. For cases (m, n) = (1, 2), (m, n) = (2, 1), (m, n) = (0, 3) and (m, n) = (3, 0) explicit forms of the density functions are derived and compared to previous generalizations of Cauchy and skew-Cauchy distributions.     

Is Each NPMLE of a Continuous Bivariate Distribution Function with Singly Right-Censored Data Really Inconsistent?

We consider non-parametric estimation of a continuous cdf of a random vector (X ₁, X ₂). With bivariate RC data, it is stated in van der Laan (1996 Van der Laan , M. J. ( 1996 ) Efficient estimation in the bivariate censoring model and repairing NPMLE . Ann. Statist. 24 : 596 – 627 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], p. 598¹⁰, Ann. Statist.), Quale et al. (2006 Quale , C. M. , van der Laan , M. J. , Robins , J. R. ( 2006 ). Locally efficient estimation with bivariate right-censored data . JASA. 101 : 1076 – 1084 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], JASA) etc. that “it is well known that the NPMLE for continuous data is inconsistent (Tsai et al. (1986 Tsai , W. Y. , Leurgans , S. , Crowley , J. ( 1986 ). Nonparametric estimation of a bivariate survival function in the presence of censoring . Ann. Statist. 14 : 1351 – 1365 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar])).” The claim is based on a result in Tsai et al. (1986 Tsai , W. Y. , Leurgans , S. , Crowley , J. ( 1986 ). Nonparametric estimation of a bivariate survival function in the presence of censoring . Ann. Statist. 14 : 1351 – 1365 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], p.1352, Ann. Statist.) that if X ₁ is right censored but not X ₂, then common ways for defining one NPMLE lead to inconsistency. If X ₁ is right censored and X ₂ is type I right-censored (which includes the case in Tsai et al.), we present a consistent NPMLE. The result corrects a common misinterpretation of Tsai's example (Tsai et al., 1986 Tsai , W. Y. , Leurgans , S. , Crowley , J. ( 1986 ). Nonparametric estimation of a bivariate survival function in the presence of censoring . Ann. Statist. 14 : 1351 – 1365 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar], Ann. Statist.).     

Nonparametric Testing of an Exclusion Restriction in Quantile Regression

Using the framework proposed by Bickel et al. (2006 Bickel , P. J. , Ritov , Y. , Stoker , T. ( 2006 ). Tailor-made tests for goodness-of-fit to semiparametric hypotheses . Ann. Stat. 34 ( 2 ): 721 – 741 . [Google Scholar]), we provide a score-based testing method to check the exclusion restriction in quantile regression, i.e., H: ν_α(Y|U, V) = ν_α(Y|U) w.p.1, where ν_α denotes the αth (0 < α < 1) quantile. A subsampling method is suggested to acquire the critical values and justified. The tests are all found to be consistent against fixed alternatives and have discriminating power against local alternatives at root-n scale. We address this particular problem as a representative among a wide family of semiparametric model checking problems. The methodology can be carried over to other goodness-of-fit testing of semiparametric models, possibly involve non smooth functions.     

Bivariate Aging Properties under Archimedean Dependence Structures

Let X  = (X, Y) be a pair of lifetimes whose dependence structure is described by an Archimedean survival copula, and let X _t  = [(X ? t, Y ? t) | X > t, Y > t] denotes the corresponding pair of residual lifetimes after time t ≥ 0. Multivariate aging notions, defined by means of stochastic comparisons between X and X _t , with t ≥ 0, were studied in Pellerey (2008 Pellerey , F. ( 2008 ). On univariate and bivariate aging for dependent lifetimes with Archimedean survival copulas . Kybernetika 44 : 795 – 806 .[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]), who considered pairs of lifetimes having the same marginal distribution. Here, we present the generalizations of his results, considering both stochastic comparisons between X _t and X _t+s for all t, s ≥ 0 and the case of dependent lifetimes having different distributions. Comparisons between two different pairs of residual lifetimes, at any time t ≥ 0, are discussed as well.     

A Note on Criterion-Robust Optimal Designs for Model Discrimination and Parameter Estimation in Polynomial Regression Models

Consider the problem of discriminating between the polynomial regression models on [?1, 1] and estimating parameters in the models. Zen and Tsai (2002 Zen , M. M. , Tsai , M. H. ( 2002 ). Some criterion-robust optimal designs for the dual problem of model discrimination and parameter estimation . Sankhya Ind. J. Statist. 64 : (Series B, Pt. 3) : 322 – 338 . [Google Scholar]) proposed a multiple-objective optimality criterion, M _γ-criterion, which uses weight γ (0 ≤ γ ≤ 1) for model discrimination and α = β = (1 ? γ)/2 for parameter estimation in each model. In this article, we generalize it to a wider setup with different values of α and β. For instance, α = 2 β suggests that the “smaller” model is more likely to be the true model. Using similar techniques, the corresponding criterion-robust optimal design is investigated. A study for the original criterion-robust optimal design with α = β, through M-efficiency, shows that it is good enough for any wider setup.     

Reliability Properties of Reversed Residual Lifetime

Abstract

If the random variable X denotes the lifetime (X ≥ 0, with probability one) of a unit, then the random variable X _t  = (t ? X|X ≤ t), for a fixed t > 0, is known as `time since failure', which is analogous to the residual lifetime random variable used in reliability and survival analysis. The reversed hazard rate function, which is related to the random variable X _t , has received the attention of many researchers in the recent past [(cf. Shaked, M., Shanthikumar, J. G., 1994 Shaked, M. and Shanthikumar, J. G. 1994. Stochastic Orders and Their Applications New York: Academic Press.  [Google Scholar]). Stochastic Orders and Their Applications. New York: Academic Press]. In this paper, we define some new classes of distributions based on the random variable X _t and study their interrelations. We also define a new ordering based on the mean of the random variable X_t and establish its relationship with the reversed hazard rate ordering.     

An Index of Local Sensitivity to Nonignorability for a Pseudolikelihood Method

For regression analysis of data with non response, sensitivity analysis is usually recommended. An index of local sensitivity to non ignorability (ISNI) (Troxel et al., 2004 Troxel , A. B. , Ma , G. , Heitjan , D. F. (2004). An index of local sensitivity to nonignorability. Statistica Sinica 14:1221–1237.[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) was derived to detect the sensitivity of maximum likelihood estimates to small departures from ignorability. However, ISNI requires specification of a parametric model for the missing-data mechanism. In this article, a local sensitivity index for a pseudolikelihood (PL) method that does not require specification of the mechanism is proposed. For bivariate data (x, y), when the non response mechanism is an arbitrary function of x + λy, this new index is defined as the first derivative of the PL estimate with respect to λ at λ = 0. The closed form was derived for normal regression data when the density function of the predictor x approximated by a kernel estimator in the PL method. The utility of this new local sensitivity index was illustrated through application on one dataset.     

A New Variant of the Bivariate Setting the Clock Back to Zero Property

Raja Rao et al. (1993 Raja Rao , B. , Damaraju , C. V. , Alhumoud , J. M. ( 1993 ). Setting the clock back to zero property of a class of bivariate life distributions . Commun. Statist. Theor. Meth. 22 ( 7 ): 2067 – 2080 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) introduced the bivariate setting the clock back to zero property. A new variant of this property is introduced that is appropriate for analysing a broader area of practical situations. Some distributions possessing the proposed property are presented. Applications of this property for simplifying the computation of the bivariate mean residual life function and the bivariate percentile residual life function are studied. The relation between the proposed property with the one studied by Raja Rao and Talwalker (1990 Raja Rao , B. , Talwalker , S. (1990). Setting the clock back to zero property of a family of life distributions. J. Statist. Plann. Infer. 24:347–352. [Google Scholar]) and the bivariate lack of memory property is studied.     

Simultaneous Canonization of Linear Models

Canonical form plays a similar role in linear models to spectral decomposition in matrix analysis. Let X = (X ₁,…, X _n )′ be a random vector with expectation Aβ and the variance–covariance matrix σV, where V is positive definite and let rank(A) = r. Then there exists a nonsingular linear transformation from X to T = (T ₁,…, T _n )′, such that ET _i  = η _i , for i = 1,…, r and zero for i > r, while cov(T _i , T _j ) = δ _ij σ. This canonical form, introduced by Ko?odziejczyk (1935 Ko?odziejczyk , S. ( 1935 ). On an important class of statistical hypotheses . Biometrika 27 : 161 – 190 .[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]), was used, among others, by Scheffé (1959 Scheffé , H. ( 1959 ). Analysis of Variance . New York : Wiley . [Google Scholar]) and by Lehmann (1959, 1986 Lehmann , E. L. (1959, 1986 ). Testing Statistical Hypotheses . New York : Wiley . [Google Scholar]). This technique is extended here for arbitrary (possibly singular) V and for simultaneous canonization of two models of this type.     

Generalized Mixtures of Gamma and Exponentials and Reliability Properties of the Maximum from Friday and Patil Bivariate Exponential Model

The minimum and maximum order statistics from many of the common bivariate exponential distributions are predominantly generalized mixtures of exponentials; however, the maximum from the Friday and Patil bivariate exponential (FPBVE) model is either a generalized mixture of three or fewer exponentials or a generalized mixture of gamma and exponentials. In this article, we obtain conditions based on the weights and parameters of the generalized mixtures of gamma and one or two exponential distributions that yield legitimate probability models. Furthermore, we analyze properties of the failure rate of the maximum from the FPBVE model. This answers a question raised in Baggs and Nagaraja (1996 Baggs , G. E. , Nagaraja , H. N. ( 1996 ). Reliability properties of order statistics from bivariate exponential distributions . Commun. Statist. Stochastic Mod. 12 : 611 – 631 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]).     

MSE performance and minimax regret significance points for a HPT estimator under a multivariate t error distribution

In this article, assuming that the error terms follow a multivariate t distribution,we derive the exact formulae forthe moments of the heterogeneous preliminary test (HPT) estimator proposed by Xu (2012b Xu, H. (2012b). MSE performance and minimax regret significance points for a HPT estimator when each individual regression coefficient is estimated. Commun. Stat. Theory Methods 42:2152–2164.[Taylor &; Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We also execute the numerical evaluation to investigate the mean squared error (MSE) performance of the HPT estimator and compare it with those of the feasible ridge regression (FRR) estimator and the usual ordinary least squared (OLS) estimator. Further, we derive the optimal critical values of the preliminary F test for the HPT estimator, using the minimax regret function proposed by Sawa and Hiromatsu (1973 Sawa, T., Hiromatsu, T. (1973). Minimax regret significance points for a preliminary test in regression analysis. Econometrica 41:1093–1101.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). Our results show that (1) the optimal significance level (α*) increases as the degrees of freedom of multivariate t distribution (ν₀) increases; (2) when ν₀ ? 10, the value of α* is close to that in the normal error case.     

Hypotheses Testing on a Multivariate Null Intercept Errors-in-Variables Model

Considering the Wald, score, and likelihood ratio asymptotic test statistics, we analyze a multivariate null intercept errors-in-variables regression model, where the explanatory and the response variables are subject to measurement errors, and a possible structure of dependency between the measurements taken within the same individual are incorporated, representing a longitudinal structure. This model was proposed by Aoki et al. (2003b Aoki , R. , Bolfarine , H. , Achcar , J. A. , Pinto Jr. , D. L. ( 2003b ). Bayesian analysis of a multivariate null intercept errors-in-variables regression model . Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics 13 : 767 – 775 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]) and analyzed under the bayesian approach. In this article, considering the classical approach, we analyze asymptotic test statistics and present a simulation study to compare the behavior of the three test statistics for different sample sizes, parameter values and nominal levels of the test. Also, closed form expressions for the score function and the Fisher information matrix are presented. We consider two real numerical illustrations, the odontological data set from Hadgu and Koch (1999 Hadgu , A. , Koch , G. ( 1999 ). Application of generalized estimating equations to a dental randomized clinical trial . Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics 9 ( 1 ): 161 – 178 .[Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar]), and a quality control data set.     

On dynamic weighted survival entropy of order α

Recently, Abbasnejad et al. (2010 Abbasnejad, M., Arghami, N.R., Morgenthaler, S., Mohtashami Borzadaran, G.R. (2010). On the dynamic survival entropy. Stat. Probab. Lett. 80:1962–1971.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) proposed a measure of uncertainty based on survival function, called the survival entropy of order α. A dynamic form of the survival entropy of order α is also proposed by them. In this paper, we derive the weighted form of these measures. The properties of the new measures are also discussed.     

Multivariate Aging with Archimedean Dependence Structures in High Dimensions

Bivariate aging notions for a vector X of lifetimes based on stochastic comparisons between X and X _t, where X _t is the multivariate residual lifetime after time t > 0, have been studied in Pellerey (2008 Pellerey , F. ( 2008 ). On univariate and bivariate aging for dependent lifetimes with Archimedean survival copulas . Kybernetika 44 : 795 – 806 .[Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) under the assumption that the dependence structure in X is described by an Archimedean survival copula. Similar stochastic comparisons between X _t and X _t+s, for all t; s > 0, were considered in Mulero and Pellerey (2010 Mulero , J. , Pellerey , F. ( 2010 ). Bivariate aging properties under Archimedean dependence structures . Commun. Statist. Theor. Meth. 39 : 3108 – 3121 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). In this article, these results are generalized and extended to the multivariate case. Two illustrative examples are also provided.     

New Approach of Directional Dependence in Exchange Markets Using Generalized FGM Copula Function

This article presents an application of copula methodology in exchange markets. In this article, we consider the concept of directional dependence given by Sungur (2005 Sungur , E. A. ( 2005 ). Some observations on copula regression functions . Communications in Statistics—Theory and Methods 34 : 1967 – 1978 .[Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). We also consider and study directional dependence for generalized Farlie–Gumbel–Morgenstern (FGM) distributions, which are a member of the Rodríguez-Lallena and Úbeda-Flores (2004 Rodríguez-Lallena , J. A. , Úbeda-Flores , M. ( 2004 ). A new class of bivariate copulas . Statistical Probability Letters 66 : 315 – 325 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) family, C(u, v) = uv + f(u)g(v). Examples of the generalized FGM distributions are provided with exchange market data of the Euro, Canadian dollar, Korean Won, Japanese Yen, and Hong Kong dollar against the U.S. dollar.     

Edgeworth Expansion of the Moment-Based Test for Homogeneity in an NEF-QVF Mixture Model

In this article, we study the moment-based test procedure for a mixture distribution for the Natural exponential family with quadratic variance functions (NEF-QVF) family proposed by Ning et al. (2009b Ning, W., Zhang, S. G. and Yu, C. 2009b. A moment-based test for the homogeneity in mixture natural exponential family with quadratic variance functions. Statistical and Probability Letters, 79: 828–834. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) in the small sample size scenario. We derive the approximation for the null distribution of the test statistic by the Edgeworth expansion. The simulations are conducted for a binomial mixture distribution, which includes the situation corresponding to the detection of the linkage in the genetic analysis, with different sample sizes and family sizes at various significance levels. The simulation results show that our test performs reasonably well. We also apply the proposed method to the real clinical data to verify the significant difference between two drug treatments. The critical values associated with a binomial mixture distribution are also provided.     

Test of Independence for Baker’s Bivariate Distributions

Baker (2008 Baker, R. (2008). An order-statistics-based method for constructing multivariate distributions with fixed marginals. Journal of Multivariate Analysis 99: 2312–2327.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) introduced a new method for constructing multivariate distributions with given marginals based on order statistics. In this paper, we provide a test of independence for a pair of absolutely continuous random variables (X, Y) jointly distributed according to Baker’s bivariate distributions. Our purpose is to test the hypothesis that X and Y are independent versus the alternative that X and Y are positively (negatively) quadrant dependent. The asymptotic distribution of the proposed test statistic is investigated. Also, the powers of the proposed test and the class of distribution-free tests proposed by Kochar and Gupta (1987 Kochar, S. G., Gupta, R. P. (1987). Competitors of Kendall-tau test for testing independence against positive quadrant dependence. Biometrika 74(3): 664–666.[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) are compared empirically via a simulation study.