Control variates and importance sampling for efficient bootstrap simulations

Importance sampling and control variates have been used as variance reduction techniques for estimating bootstrap tail quantiles and moments, respectively. We adapt each method to apply to both quantiles and moments, and combine the methods to obtain variance reductions by factors from 4 to 30 in simulation examples.We use two innovations in control variates—interpreting control variates as a re-weighting method, and the implementation of control variates using the saddlepoint; the combination requires only the linear saddlepoint but applies to general statistics, and produces estimates with accuracy of order n ^-1/2 B ^-1, where n is the sample size and B is the bootstrap sample size.We discuss two modifications to classical importance sampling—a weighted average estimate and a mixture design distribution. These modifications make importance sampling robust and allow moments to be estimated from the same bootstrap simulation used to estimate quantiles.     

Rate of strong uniform convergence of k-NN density estimates

Let f_n(x) be the univariate k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) density estimate proposed by Loftsgaarden and Quesenberry (1965). By using similar techniques as in Bahadur's representation of sample quantiles (1966), and by the recent results on the oscillation of empirical processes by Stute (1982), we derive the rate of strong uniform convergence of f_n(x) on some suitably chosen interval J_δ. Some comparison with the kernel estimates is given, as well as the choice of the bandwidth sequence relative to the sample size.     

Recurrence relations for moments of progressively censored order statistics from logistic distribution with applications to inference

In this paper, we establish several recurrence relations for the single and product moments of progressively Type-II right censored order statistics from a logistic distribution. The use of these relations in a systematic manner allows us to compute all the means, variances and covariances of progressively Type-II right censored order statistics from the logistic distribution for all sample sizes n, effective sample sizes m, and all progressive censoring schemes (R₁,…,R_m). The results established here generalize the corresponding results for the usual order statistics due to [Shah, 1966] and [Shah, 1970]. These moments are then utilized to derive best linear unbiased estimators of the location and scale parameters of the logistic distribution. A comparison of these estimators with the maximum likelihood estimations is then made. The best linear unbiased predictors of censored failure times are briefly discussed. Finally, an illustrative example is presented.     

Distribution-free confidence intervals for quantiles in small samples

Estimators for quantiles based on linear combinations of order statistics have been proposed by Harrell and Davis(1982) and kaigh and Lachenbruch (1982). Both estimators have been demonstrated to be at least as efficient for small sample point estimation as an ordinary sample quantile estimator based on one or two order statistics: Distribution-free confidence intervals for quantiles can be constructed using either of the two approaches. By means of a simulation study, these confidence intervals have been compared with several other methods of constructing confidence intervals for quantiles in small samples. For the median, the Kaigh and Lachenbruch method performed fairly well. For other quantiles, no method performed better than the method which uses pairs of order statistics.     

Pitman Closeness of Order Statistics to Population Quantiles

In this article, Pitman closeness of sample order statistics to population quantiles of a location-scale family of distributions is discussed. Explicit expressions are derived for some specific families such as uniform, exponential, and power function. Numerical results are then presented for these families for sample sizes n = 10,15, and for the choices of p = 0.10, 0.25, 0.75, 0.90. The Pitman-closest order statistic is also determined in these cases and presented.     

Order statistics from extreme value distribution,i: tables of means,variances and covariances

Let X¹, X², …, Xⁿ be a random sample of size n from an extreme value distribution and X^1:n less than or equal X^2:n less than or equal … less than or equal X^n:n be the order statistics ob-tained from this sample. Tables of the means, variances, and covariances of the order statistics for samples of size n are given for n = 1(1)15(5)30. The computational formulae and procedure used and some checks employed are explained.     

Confidence intervals based on L-moments for quantiles of the GP and GEV distributions with application to market-opening asset prices data

In a ground-breaking paper published in 1990 by the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, J.R.M. Hosking defined the L-moment of a random variable as an expectation of certain linear combinations of order statistics. L-moments are an alternative to conventional moments and recently they have been used often in inferential statistics. L-moments have several advantages over the conventional moments, including robustness to the the presence of outliers, which may lead to more accurate estimates in some cases as the characteristics of distributions. In this contribution, asymptotic theory and L-moments are used to derive confidence intervals of the population parameters and quantiles of the three-parametric generalized Pareto and extreme-value distributions. Computer simulations are performed to determine the performance of confidence intervals for the population quantiles based on L-moments and to compare them to those obtained by traditional estimation techniques. The results obtained show that they perform well in comparison to the moments and maximum likelihood methods when the interest is in higher quantiles, or even best. L-moments are especially recommended when the tail of the distribution is rather heavier and the sample size is small. The derived intervals are applied to real economic data, and specifically to market-opening asset prices.     

A fractional order statistic towards defining a smooth quantile function for discrete data

This work is motivated in part by a recent publication by Ma et al. (2011) who resolved the asymptotic non-normality problem of the classical sample quantiles for discrete data through defining a new mid-distribution based quantile function. This work is the motivation for defining a new and improved smooth population quantile function given discrete data. Our definition is based on the theory of fractional order statistics. The main advantage of our definition as compared to its competitors is the capability to distinguish the uth quantile across different discrete distributions over the whole interval, u∈(0,1). In addition, we define the corresponding estimator of the smooth population quantiles and demonstrate the convergence and asymptotic normal distribution of the corresponding sample quantiles. We verify our theoretical results through a Monte Carlo simulation, and illustrate the utilization of our quantile function in a Q-Q plot for discrete data.     

On the ABLUE of the normal mean from a censored sample

The asymptotically best linear unbiased estimate (ABLUE) of the normal mean is discussed. The estimate is based on k selected order statistics chosen from a singly or doubly censored large sample of size n(>k). The coefficients, the asymptotic relative efficiency of the estimate, and the optimum spacing of k real numbers between 0 and 1 which determines the optimum ranks of order statistics, are provided. A comparison between the ABLUE and the iterated maximum likelihood estimate is made.     

Characterization of weak convergence for smoothed empirical and quantile processes under ϕ-mixing

Let X_n, n ⩾ 1 be a sequence of ϕ-mixing random variables having a smooth common distribution function F. The smoothed empirical distribution function is obtained by integrating a kernel type density estimator. In this paper we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for the central limit theorem to hold for smoothed empirical distribution functions and smoothed sample quantiles. Also, necessary and sufficient conditions are given for weak convergence of the smoothed empirical process and the smoothed uniform quantile process.     

On the construction of orthogonal F-squares of order n from an orthogonal array (n, k, s, 2) and an OL(s, t) set

Complete sets of orthogonal F-squares of order n = s^p, where g is a prime or prime power and p is a positive integer have been constructed by Hedayat, Raghavarao, and Seiden (1975). Federer (1977) has constructed complete sets of orthogonal F-squares of order n = 4t, where t is a positive integer. We give a general procedure for constructing orthogonal F-squares of order n from an orthogonal array (n, k, s, 2) and an OL(s, t) set, where n is not necessarily a prime or prime power. In particular, we show how to construct sets of orthogonal F-squares of order n = 2s^p, where s is a prime or prime power and p is a positive integer. These sets are shown to be near complete and approach complete sets as s and/or p become large. We have also shown how to construct orthogonal arrays by these methods. In addition, the best upper bound on the number t of orthogonal F(n, λ₁), F(n, λ₂), …, F(n, λ₁) squares is given.     

Recurrence relations for single and product moments of progressively Type-II censored order statistics from generalized logistic distribution with applications to inference

In this article, we establish several recurrence relations for the single and product moments of progressively Type-II right censored order statistics from a generalized logistic distribution. The use of these relations in a systematic manner allow us to compute all the means, variances, and covariances of progressively Type-II right censored order statistics from the generalized logistic distribution for all sample sizes n, effective sample sizes m, and all progressive censoring schemes (R₁, …, R_m). These moments are then utilized to derive best linear unbiased estimators of the scale and location-scale parameters of the generalized logistic distribution. A comparison of these estimators with the maximum likelihood estimates is then made through Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the best linear unbiased predictors of censored failure times is discussed briefly.     

Non-parametric recursive estimates of a probability density function and its derivatives

Recursive estimates of a probability density function (pdf) are known. This paper presents recursive estimates of a derivative of any desired order of a pdf. Let f be a pdf on the real line and p?0 be any desired integer. Based on a random sample of size n from f, estimators f^(p)_n of f^(p), the pth order derivatives of f, are exhibited. These estimators are of the form $\text{n}{}^{\mathrm{?1}}\text{∑n}\text{j=1}\text{δ}{}_{\mathrm{jp}}$, where δ_jp depends only on p and the jth observation in the sample, and hence can be computed recursively as the sample size increases. These estimators are shown to be asymptotically unbiased, mean square consistent and strongly consistent, both at a point and uniformly on the real line. For pointwise properties, the conditions on f^(p) have been weakened with a little stronger assumption on the kernel function.     

Recurrence relations for single and product moments of progressively Type-II censored order statistics from a generalized half-logistic distribution with application to inference

In this paper, we establish several recurrence relations for the single and product moments of progressively Type-II right-censored order statistics from a generalized half-logistic distribution. The use of these relations in a systematic recursive manner enables the computation of all the means, variances, and covariances of progressively Type-II right-censored order statistics from the generalized half-logistic distribution for all sample sizes n, effective sample sizes m, and all progressive censoring schemes (R ₁, …, R _m ). The results established here generalize the corresponding results for the usual order statistics due to Balakrishnan and Sandhu [Recurrence relations for single and product moments of order statistics from a generalized half-logistic distribution with applications to inference, J. Stat. Comput. Simul. 52 (1995), pp. 385–398.]. The moments so determined are then utilized to derive the best linear unbiased estimators of the scale and location–scale parameters of the generalized half-logistic distribution. The best linear unbiased predictors of censored failure times are discussed briefly. Finally, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the inferential method developed here.     

Nonparametric estimation of extreme conditional quantiles

The estimation of extreme conditional quantiles is an important issue in different scientific disciplines. Up to now, the extreme value literature focused mainly on estimation procedures based on independent and identically distributed samples. Our contribution is a two-step procedure for estimating extreme conditional quantiles. In a first step nonextreme conditional quantiles are estimated nonparametrically using a local version of [Koenker, R. and Bassett, G. (1978). Regression quantiles. Econometrica, 46, 33–50.] regression quantile methodology. Next, these nonparametric quantile estimates are used as analogues of univariate order statistics in procedures for extreme quantile estimation. The performance of the method is evaluated for both heavy tailed distributions and distributions with a finite right endpoint using a small sample simulation study. A bootstrap procedure is developed to guide in the selection of an optimal local bandwidth. Finally the procedure is illustrated in two case studies.     

Exact nonparametric confidence,prediction and tolerance intervals based on multi-sample Type-II right censored data

Exact nonparametric inference based on ordinary Type-II right censored samples has been extended here to the situation when there are multiple samples with Type-II censoring from a common continuous distribution. It is shown that marginally, the order statistics from the pooled sample are mixtures of the usual order statistics with multivariate hypergeometric weights. Relevant formulas are then derived for the construction of nonparametric confidence intervals for population quantiles, prediction intervals, and tolerance intervals in terms of these pooled order statistics. It is also shown that this pooled-sample approach assists in achieving higher confidence levels when estimating large quantiles as compared to a single Type-II censored sample with same number of observations from a sample of comparable size. We also present some examples to illustrate all the methods of inference developed here.     

Modified kolmogorov-smirnov tests of goodness of fit

The Kolmogorov-Smirnov (K–S) one-sided and two-sided tests of goodness of fit based on the test statistics D⁺ _n D^? _n and D_n are equivalent to tests based on taking the cumulative probability of the i–th order statistic of a sample of size n to be (i–.5)/n. Modified test statistics C⁺ _n, C^? _n and C_n are obtained by taking the cumulative probability to be i/(n+l). More generally, the cumula-tive probability may be taken to be (i?δ)/(n+l?2δ), as suggested by Blom (1958), where 0 less than or equal δ less than or equal .5. Critical values of the test statis-tics can be found by interpolating inversely in tables of the proba-bility integrals obtained by setting a=l/(n+l?2δ) in an expression given by Pyke (1959). Critical values for the D's (corresponding to δ=.5) have been tabulated to 5DP by Miller (1956) for n=1(1)100. The authors have made analogous tabulations for the C's (corresponding to δ=0) [previously tabulated by Durbin (1969) for n=1(1)60(2)100] and for the test statistics E⁺ _n, E^? _n and E_n corresponding to δ f.3. They have also made a Monte Carlo comparison of the power of the modified tests with that of the K–S test for several hypothetical distributions. In a number of cases, the power of the modified tests is greater than that of the K–S test, especially when the standard deviation is greater under the alternative than under the null hypo-thesis.     

On characterizations based on record values and order statistics

Consider an infinite sequence of independent random variables having common continuous c.d.f. F. For 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n, let X_i:n denote the ith order statistic of the first n random variables, and let {X(n), n ⩾ 1} be the sequence of upper record values. We examine the similarities and differences between the dependence structures of the X_i:n's and the X(n)'s, with an emphasis on the latter. We present an interesting situation involving a characterization of F using the moment sequence of records. We obtain characterizations based on the properties of certain regression functions associated with order statistics, record values, and the original observations. We discuss the resemblance between some known and some new characterizations based on order statistics, record values and those based on the properties of truncated F.     

Concomitants of order statistics from multivariate elliptical distributions

In this paper, by considering a 2n-dimensional elliptically contoured random vector (X^T,Y^T)^T=(X₁,…,X_n,Y₁,…,Y_n)^T, we derive the exact joint distribution of linear combinations of concomitants of order statistics arising from X. Specifically, we establish a mixture representation for the distribution of the rth concomitant order statistic, and also for the joint distribution of the rth order statistic and its concomitant. We show that these distributions are indeed mixtures of multivariate unified skew-elliptical distributions. The two most important special cases of multivariate normal and multivariate t distributions are then discussed in detail. Finally, an application of the established results in an inferential problem is outlined.     

Optimal spacings for the simultaneous estimation of the location and scale parameters of a normal distribution based on selected two sample quantiles

Simultaneous estimation of the location parameter μ and scale parameter σ of a normal distribution based on two selected sample quantiles out of sufficiently large sample of size n is considered. The optimal spacing which maximizes the asymptotic relative efficiency is proved to be symmetric.