Smoothed Isotonic Estimators of a Monotone Baseline Hazard in the Cox Model

We consider the smoothed maximum likelihood estimator and the smoothed Grenander‐type estimator for a monotone baseline hazard rate λ ₀ in the Cox model. We analyze their asymptotic behaviour and show that they are asymptotically normal at rate n ^{m /(2m +1)}, when λ ₀ is m ≥2 times continuously differentiable, and that both estimators are asymptotically equivalent. Finally, we present numerical results on pointwise confidence intervals that illustrate the comparable behaviour of the two methods.     

A Semi-parametric Regression Model with Errors in Variables

Abstract.  In this paper, we consider a partial linear regression model with measurement errors in possibly all the variables. We use a method of moments and deconvolution to construct a new class of parametric estimators together with a non-parametric kernel estimator. Strong convergence, optimal rate of weak convergence and asymptotic normality of the estimators are investigated.     

On Second Order Admissibilities in Two-Parameter Logistic Regression Model

In two-parameter family of distribution, conditions for a modified maximum likelihood estimator to be second-order admissible are given. Applying these results to two-parameter logistic regression model, it is shown that the maximum likelihood estimator is always second-order inadmissible and the Rao-Blackwellized minimum logit chi-squared estimator is second-order admissible if and only if the number of the doses is greater than or equal to 6.     

On the Restricted Liu Estimator in the Logistic Regression Model

The logistic regression model is used when the response variables are dichotomous. In the presence of multicollinearity, the variance of the maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) becomes inflated. The Liu estimator for the linear regression model is proposed by Liu to remedy this problem. Urgan and Tez and Mansson et al. examined the Liu estimator (LE) for the logistic regression model. We introduced the restricted Liu estimator (RLE) for the logistic regression model. Moreover, a Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted for comparing the performances of the MLE, restricted maximum likelihood estimator (RMLE), LE, and RLE for the logistic regression model.     

Shape Constrained Non‐parametric Estimators of the Baseline Distribution in Cox Proportional Hazards Model

Abstract. We investigate non‐parametric estimation of a monotone baseline hazard and a decreasing baseline density within the Cox model. Two estimators of a non‐decreasing baseline hazard function are proposed. We derive the non‐parametric maximum likelihood estimator and consider a Grenander type estimator, defined as the left‐hand slope of the greatest convex minorant of the Breslow estimator. We demonstrate that the two estimators are strongly consistent and asymptotically equivalent and derive their common limit distribution at a fixed point. Both estimators of a non‐increasing baseline hazard and their asymptotic properties are obtained in a similar manner. Furthermore, we introduce a Grenander type estimator for a non‐increasing baseline density, defined as the left‐hand slope of the least concave majorant of an estimator of the baseline cumulative distribution function, derived from the Breslow estimator. We show that this estimator is strongly consistent and derive its asymptotic distribution at a fixed point.     

Monte Carlo Simulation Study of Biased Estimators in the Linear Regression Models with Correlated or Heteroscedastic Errors

In this study, the performance of the estimators proposed in the presence of multicollinearity in the linear regression model with heteroscedastic or correlated or both error terms is investigated under the matrix mean square error criterion. Structures of the autocorrelated error terms are given and a Monte Carlo simulation study is conducted to examine the relative efficiency of the estimators against each other.     

A Convolution Estimator for the Density of Nonlinear Regression Observations

Abstract. The problem of estimating an unknown density function has been widely studied. In this article, we present a convolution estimator for the density of the responses in a nonlinear heterogenous regression model. The rate of convergence for the mean square error of the convolution estimator is of order n ^?1 under certain regularity conditions. This is faster than the rate for the kernel density method. We derive explicit expressions for the asymptotic variance and the bias of the new estimator, and further a data‐driven bandwidth selector is proposed. We conduct simulation experiments to check the finite sample properties, and the convolution estimator performs substantially better than the kernel density estimator for well‐behaved noise densities.     

Asymptotic properties of the maximum smoothed partial likelihood estimator in the change-plane Cox model

The change-plane Cox model is a popular tool for the subgroup analysis of survival data. Despite the rich literature on this model, there has been limited investigation into the asymptotic properties of the estimators of the finite-dimensional parameter. Particularly, the convergence rate, not to mention the asymptotic distribution, has not been fully characterized for the general model where classification is based on multiple covariates. To bridge this theoretical gap, this study proposes a maximum smoothed partial likelihood estimator and establishes the following asymptotic properties. First, it shows that the convergence rate for the classification parameter can be arbitrarily close to $n^{-1}$ up to a logarithmic factor under a certain condition on covariates and the choice of tuning parameter. Given this convergence rate result, it also establishes the asymptotic normality for the regression parameter.     

Efficient improved estimation of the parameters in two seemingly unrelated regression models

For a system of two seemingly unrelated regression equations, this paper proposes a two-stage covariance improved estimator of the regression coefficients. The new estimator is shown to uniformly dominate the present estimators in terms of generalized mean square error criterion. In addition, we also propose the exact generalized mean square error of new estimator.     

On the Validity of the Bootstrap in Non‐Parametric Functional Regression

Abstract. We consider the functional non‐parametric regression model Y= r( χ )+?, where the response Y is univariate, χ is a functional covariate (i.e. valued in some infinite‐dimensional space), and the error ? satisfies E(? | χ ) = 0. For this model, the pointwise asymptotic normality of a kernel estimator of r (·) has been proved in the literature. To use this result for building pointwise confidence intervals for r (·), the asymptotic variance and bias of need to be estimated. However, the functional covariate setting makes this task very hard. To circumvent the estimation of these quantities, we propose to use a bootstrap procedure to approximate the distribution of . Both a naive and a wild bootstrap procedure are studied, and their asymptotic validity is proved. The obtained consistency results are discussed from a practical point of view via a simulation study. Finally, the wild bootstrap procedure is applied to a food industry quality problem to compute pointwise confidence intervals.     

Approximate maximum likelihood estimation of the mean and standard deviation of the normal distribution based on type ii censored samples

It is known that the maximum likelihood methods does not provide explicit estimators for the mean and standard deviation of the normal distribution based on Type II censored samples. In this paper we present a simple method of deriving explicit estimators by approximating the likelihood equations appropriately. We obtain the variances and covariance of these estimators. We also show that these estimators are almost as eficient as the maximum likelihood (ML) estimators and just as eficient as the best linear unbiased (BLU), and the modified maximum likelihood (MML) estimators. Finally, we illustrate this method of estimation by applying it to Gupta's and Darwin's data.     

The relative efficiency of the restricted estimators in linear regression models

This paper deals with the problem of multicollinearity in a multiple linear regression model with linear equality restrictions. The restricted two parameter estimator which was proposed in case of multicollinearity satisfies the restrictions. The performance of the restricted two parameter estimator over the restricted least squares (RLS) estimator and the ordinary least squares (OLS) estimator is examined under the mean square error (MSE) matrix criterion when the restrictions are correct and not correct. The necessary and sufficient conditions for the restricted ridge regression, restricted Liu and restricted shrunken estimators, which are the special cases of the restricted two parameter estimator, to have a smaller MSE matrix than the RLS and the OLS estimators are derived when the restrictions hold true and do not hold true. Theoretical results are illustrated with numerical examples based on Webster, Gunst and Mason data and Gorman and Toman data. We conduct a final demonstration of the performance of the estimators by running a Monte Carlo simulation which shows that when the variance of the error term and the correlation between the explanatory variables are large, the restricted two parameter estimator performs better than the RLS estimator and the OLS estimator under the configurations examined.     

Comparison of the Iterative Stein-Rule and the Usual Estimators of the Disturbance Variance Under the Pitman Nearness Criterion in a Linear Regression Model with Proxy Variables

In a linear regression model with proxy variables, the iterative Stein-rule estimator and the usual estimator of the disturbance variance is compared under the Pitman Nearness Criterion. The exact expression of Pitman Nearness probability is derived and numerically evaluated.     

Empirical Bayes Estimation of Small Area Means under a Nested Error Linear Regression Model with Measurement Errors in the Covariates

Abstract.  Previously, small area estimation under a nested error linear regression model was studied with area level covariates subject to measurement error. However, the information on observed covariates was not used in finding the Bayes predictor of a small area mean. In this paper, we first derive the fully efficient Bayes predictor by utilizing all the available data. We then estimate the regression and variance component parameters in the model to get an empirical Bayes (EB) predictor and show that the EB predictor is asymptotically optimal. In addition, we employ the jackknife method to obtain an estimator of mean squared prediction error (MSPE) of the EB predictor. Finally, we report the results of a simulation study on the performance of our EB predictor and associated jackknife MSPE estimators. Our results show that the proposed EB predictor can lead to significant gain in efficiency over the previously proposed EB predictor.     

The cost of not knowing the radius

Robust Statistics considers the quality of statistical decisions in the presence of deviations from the ideal model, where deviations are modelled by neighborhoods of a certain size about the ideal model. We introduce a new concept of optimality (radius-minimaxity) if this size or radius is not precisely known: for this notion, we determine the increase of the maximum risk over the minimax risk in the case that the optimally robust estimator for the false neighborhood radius is used. The maximum increase of the relative risk is minimized in the case that the radius is known only to belong to some interval [r _l ,r _u ]. We pursue this minmax approach for a number of ideal models and a variety of neighborhoods. Also, the effect of increasing parameter dimension is studied for these models. The minimax increase of relative risk in case the radius is completely unknown, compared with that of the most robust procedure, is 18.1% versus 57.1% and 50.5% versus 172.1% for one-dimensional location and scale, respectively, and less than 1/3 in other typical contamination models. In most models considered so far, the radius needs to be specified only up to a factor , in order to keep the increase of relative risk below 12.5%, provided that the radius–minimax robust estimator is employed. The least favorable radii leading to the radius–minimax estimators turn out small: 5–6% contamination, at sample size 100.