On the Kaplan–Meier estimator based on ranked set samples

When quantification of all sampling units is expensive but a set of units can be ranked, without formal measurement, ranked set sampling (RSS) is a cost-efficient alternate to simple random sampling (SRS). In this paper, we study the Kaplan–Meier estimator of survival probability based on RSS under random censoring time setup, and propose nonparametric estimators of the population mean. We present a simulation study to compare the performance of the suggested estimators. It turns out that RSS design can yield a substantial improvement in efficiency over the SRS design. Additionally, we apply the proposed methods to a real data set from an environmental study.     

Sample size calculations for single-arm survival studies using transformations of the Kaplan–Meier estimator

In single-arm clinical trials with survival outcomes, the Kaplan–Meier estimator and its confidence interval are widely used to assess survival probability and median survival time. Since the asymptotic normality of the Kaplan–Meier estimator is a common result, the sample size calculation methods have not been studied in depth. An existing sample size calculation method is founded on the asymptotic normality of the Kaplan–Meier estimator using the log transformation. However, the small sample properties of the log transformed estimator are quite poor in small sample sizes (which are typical situations in single-arm trials), and the existing method uses an inappropriate standard normal approximation to calculate sample sizes. These issues can seriously influence the accuracy of results. In this paper, we propose alternative methods to determine sample sizes based on a valid standard normal approximation with several transformations that may give an accurate normal approximation even with small sample sizes. In numerical evaluations via simulations, some of the proposed methods provided more accurate results, and the empirical power of the proposed method with the arcsine square-root transformation tended to be closer to a prescribed power than the other transformations. These results were supported when methods were applied to data from three clinical trials.     

Nonparametric estimation of the multivariate survivor function: the multivariate Kaplan–Meier estimator

The Dabrowska (Ann Stat 16:1475–1489, 1988) product integral representation of the multivariate survivor function is extended, leading to a nonparametric survivor function estimator for an arbitrary number of failure time variates that has a simple recursive formula for its calculation. Empirical process methods are used to sketch proofs for this estimator’s strong consistency and weak convergence properties. Summary measures of pairwise and higher-order dependencies are also defined and nonparametrically estimated. Simulation evaluation is given for the special case of three failure time variates.     

Precedence-type test based on Kaplan–Meier estimator of cumulative distribution function

In this paper, we introduce a precedence-type test based on Kaplan–Meier estimator of cumulative distribution function (CDF) for testing the hypothesis that two distribution functions are equal against a stochastically ordered hypothesis. This test is an alternative to the precedence life-test proposed first by Nelson (1963). After deriving the null distribution of the test statistic, we present its exact power function under the Lehmann alternative, and compare the exact power as well as simulated power (under location-shift) of the proposed test with other precedence-type tests. Next, we extend this test to the case of progressively Type-II censored data. Critical values for some combination of sample sizes and progressive censoring schemes are presented. We then examine the power properties of this test procedure and compare them to those of the weighted precedence and weighted maximal precedence tests under a location-shift alternative by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, we present two examples to illustrate all the test procedures discussed here, and then make some concluding remarks.     

Maximum of the weighted Kaplan–Meier tests for the two-sample censored data

In this paper, some versatile test procedures are considered, which are useful for the case where the association of survival functions is unclear. These procedures are based on a maximum of a class of the weighted Kaplan–Meier statistics. The weight functions used in the procedures account for both the censored and non-censored data points. Numerical simulations with these weight functions show that, under various levels of censoring, the proposed procedures perform well across a wide range of alternative configurations. Implementation of the proposed procedures is illustrated in a real data example.     

On the Breslow–Holubkov estimator

Breslow and Holubkov (J Roy Stat Soc B 59:447–461 1997a) developed semiparametric maximum likelihood estimation for two-phase studies with a case–control first phase under a logistic regression model and noted that, apart for the overall intercept term, it was the same as the semiparametric estimator for two-phase studies with a prospective first phase developed in Scott and Wild (Biometrica 84:57–71 1997). In this paper we extend the Breslow–Holubkov result to general binary regression models and show that it has a very simple relationship with its prospective first-phase counterpart. We also explore why the design of the first phase only affects the intercept of a logistic model, simplify the calculation of standard errors, establish the semiparametric efficiency of the Breslow–Holubkov estimator and derive its asymptotic distribution in the general case.     

Identification of the minimum effective dose based on weighted Kaplan–Meier statistics

Testing procedures are considered for identifying the minimum effective dose (MED) in a dose–response study with randomly right-censored survival data, where the MED is defined to be the smallest dose level under study that has survival advantage over the zero dose control. The proposed testing procedures are implemented in a step-down manner together with three different types of weighted Kaplan–Meier statistics. Comparative results of a Monte Carlo error rate and power/bias study for a variety of survival and censoring distributions are then presented and discussed. The application of the proposed procedures is finally illustrated for identifying the MED of the diethylstilbestrol in the treatment of prostate cancer.     

On the restricted r–k class estimator and the restricted r–d class estimator in linear regression

In this article, the restricted r–k class estimator and restricted r–d class estimator are introduced, which are general estimators of the r–k class estimator by Baye and Parker [Combining ridge and principal component regression: A money demand illustration, Commun. Stat. Theory Methods 13(2) (1984), pp. 197–205] and the r–d class estimator by Kaç?ranlar and Sakall?o?lu [Combining the Liu estimator and the principal component regression estimator, Commun. Stat. Theory Methods 30(12) (2001), pp. 2699–2705], respectively. For the two cases when the restrictions are true and not true, the superiority of the restricted r–k class estimator and r–d class estimator over the restricted ridge regression estimator by Sarkar [A new estimator combining the ridge regression and the restricted least squares methods of estimation, Commun. Stat. Theory Methods 21 (1992), pp. 1987–2000] and the restricted Liu estimator by Kaç?ranlar et al. [A new biased estimator in linear regression and a detailed analysis of the widely analysed dataset on Portland cement, Sankhya - Indian J. Stat. 61B(3) (1999), pp. 443–459] are discussed with respect to the mean squared error matrix criterion. Furthermore, a Monte Carlo evaluation of the estimators is given to illustrate some of the theoretical results.     

Strong consistency of presmoothed Kaplan–Meier integrals when covariables are present

It is known that the Kaplan–Meier estimation may be improved via presmoothing methods. In this article, we introduce an extended presmoothed Kaplan–Meier estimator in the presence of covariates. The main result is the strong consistency of general empirical integrals based on such an estimator. As applications, one can obtain a consis-tent multivariate empirical distribution under censoring, and also can obtain a consistent estimation of regression parameters. We illustrate the new estimation methods through simulations and real data analysis.     

An Alternative to Efron's Redistribution-of-Mass Construction of the Kaplan—Meier Estimator

Kaplan and Meier (1958) derived the nonparametric maximum likelihood estimator of the survival function for the case in which some survival times are right-censored. Efron (1967) proposed a redistribution-of-mass construction of the Kaplan—Meier estimator that emphasized and illustrated the contribution of the censored observations. This article presents an alternative construction that, unlike Efron's method, redistributes the mass initially associated with each censored observation directly to the uncensored observations. The proposed construction avoids distributing a given mass more than once and provides additional insight into the nature of the Kaplan—Meier estimator.     

Generalized Concept of Relative Risk and Wider Applications of the Proportional Hazards Model and the Kaplan–Meier Estimator

The concepts of relative risk and hazard ratio are generalized for ordinary ordinal and continuous response variables, respectively. Under the generalized concepts, the Cox proportional hazards model with the Breslow's and Efron's methods can be regarded as generalizations of the Mantel–Haenszel estimator for dealing with broader types of covariates and responses. When ordinal responses can be regarded as discretized observations of a hypothetical continuous variable, the estimated relative risks from the Cox model reflect the associations between the responses and covariates. Examples are given to illustrate the generalized concepts and wider applications of the Cox model and the Kaplan–Meier estimator.     

The Jackknife estimate of covariance of two Kaplan–Meier integrals with covariables

In this paper the Jackknife estimate of covariance of two Kaplan–Meier integrals with covariates is introduced. Its strong consistency is established under mild conditions. Several applications of the estimator are discussed.     

Failure–censored reliability sampling plans for the exponential distribution

In this paper we examine the failure-censored sampling plans for the two–parameter exponential distri- bution based on m random samples, each of size n. The suggested procedure is based on exact results and only the first failure time of each sample is needed. The values of the acceptability constant are also tabulated for selected values of p _α ¹ p _β ¹, α and β. Further, a comparison of the proposed sampling plans with ordinary sampling plans using a sample of size mn is made. When compared to ordinary sampling plans, the proposed plan has an advantage in terms of shorter test-time and a saving of resources.     

An algorithm for the Buckley–James estimator with interval-censored data

The Buckley–James estimator (BJE) [J. Buckley and I. James, Linear regression with censored data, Biometrika 66 (1979), pp. 429–436] has been extended from right-censored (RC) data to interval-censored (IC) data by Rabinowitz et al. [D. Rabinowitz, A. Tsiatis, and J. Aragon, Regression with interval-censored data, Biometrika 82 (1995), pp. 501–513]. The BJE is defined to be a zero-crossing of a modified score function H(b), a point at which H(·) changes its sign. We discuss several approaches (for finding a BJE with IC data) which are extensions of the existing algorithms for RC data. However, these extensions may not be appropriate for some data, in particular, they are not appropriate for a cancer data set that we are analysing. In this note, we present a feasible iterative algorithm for obtaining a BJE. We apply the method to our data.     

Rate of convergence for asymptotic variance of the Horvitz–Thompson estimator

Drawing distinct units without replacement and with unequal probabilities from a population is a problem often considered in the literature (e.g. Hanif and Brewer, 1980, Int. Statist. Rev. 48, 317–355). In such a case, the sample mean is a biased estimator of the population mean. For this reason, we use the unbiased Horvitz–Thompson estimator (1951). In this work, we focus our interest on the variance of this estimator. The variance is cumbersome to compute because it requires the calculation of a large number of second-order inclusion probabilities. It would be helpful to use an approximation that does not need heavy calculations. The Hájek (1964) variance approximation provides this advantage as it is free of second-order inclusion probabilities. Hájek (1964) proved that this approximation is valid under restrictive conditions that are usually not fulfilled in practice. In this paper, we give more general conditions and we show that this approximation remains acceptable for most practical problems.     

On the maximization of likelihoods belonging to the exponential family using a Levenberg–Marquardt approach

The Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is a flexible iterative procedure used to solve non-linear least-squares problems. In this work, we study how a class of possible adaptations of this procedure can be used to solve maximum-likelihood problems when the underlying distributions are in the exponential family. We formally demonstrate a local convergence property and discuss a possible implementation of the penalization involved in this class of algorithms. Applications to real and simulated compositional data show the stability and efficiency of this approach.     

One–sided simulataneous prediction intervals for the order statistics of a future samples from an exponential distribution

Assume that a sample is available from a population having an exponential distribution, and that l Future sample are to be taken from the same population. This paper provides a formula for the same population. This paper provides a formula for computing a one–sided lower simulataneous prediction limit which is to be below the (k_i ? m_i + 1) –st order statistics of a future sample of size k_i for the i = 1,…,2, hased on the sample mean of a past sample. Tables for factors for one–sided lower simultaneous predicition limits are provided. Such limits are of practical importance in determining acceptance criteria and predicting system survival times.