Estimators of location based on Kolmogorov-Smirnov-type statistics

Two classes of estimators of a location parameter ø₀ are proposed, based on a nonnegative functional H₁^* of the pair (D₁^ø_N, G^ø_N), where and where F_N is the sample distribution function. The estimators of the first class are defined as a value of ø minimizing H₁^*; the estimators of the second class are linearized versions of those of the first. The asymptotic distribution of the estimators is derived, and it is shown that the Kolmogorov-Smirnov statistic, the signed linear rank statistics, and the Cramérvon Mises statistics are special cases of such functionals H₁^*;. These estimators are closely related to the estimators of a shift in the two-sample case, proposed and studied by Boulanger in B2 (pp. 271–284).     

Local asymptotic normality of intermediate and central order statistics

Consider n independent random variables Z_i,…, Z_n on R with common distribution function F, whose upper tail belongs to a parametric family F(t) = F_θ(t),t ≥ x₀, where θ ∈ ? ? R ^d. A necessary and sufficient condition for the family F_θ, θ ∈ ?, is established such that the k-th largest order statistic Z_n?k+1:n alone constitutes the central sequence yielding local asymptotic normality ( LAN ) of the loglikelihood ratio of the vector (Z_n?i+1:n)¹ _i=kof the k largest order statistics. This is achieved for k = k(n)→_n→∞∞ with k/n→_n→∞ 0.

In the case of vectors of central order statistics ( Z_r:n, Z_r+1:n,…, Z_s:n ), with r/n and s/n both converging to q ∈ ( 0,1 ), it turns out that under fairly general conditions any order statistic Z_m:n with r ≤ m ≤s builds the central sequence in a pertaining LAN expansion.These results lead to asymptotically optimal tests and estimators of the underlying parameter, which depend on single order statistics only     

A note on the admissibility of hammersley's estimator of an integer mean

Let X₁, X₂, …, X_n be identically, independently distributed N(i,1) random variables, where i = 0, ±1, ±2, … Hammersley (1950) showed that d = [X?_n], the nearest integer to the sample mean, is the maximum likelihood estimator of i. Khan (1973) showed that d is minimax and admissible with respect to zero-one loss. This note now proves a conjecture of Stein to the effect that in the class of integer-valued estimators d is minimax and admissible under squared-error loss.     

New estimators of distribution functions

ABSTRACT

This article considers the estimation of a distribution function F_X(x) based on a random sample X₁, X₂, …, X_n when the sample is suspected to come from a close-by distribution F₀(x). The new estimators, namely the preliminary test (PTE) and Stein-type estimator (SE) are defined and compared with the “empirical distribution function” (edf) under local departure. In this case, we show that Stein-type estimators are superior to edf and PTE is superior to edf when it is close to F₀(x). As a by-product similar estimators are proposed for population quantiles.     

D-Optimal Axial Designs for Quadratic and Cubic Additive Mixture Models

The paper discusses D-optimal axial designs for the additive quadratic and cubic mixture models σ_1≤i≤q(β_ix_i + β_iix²_i) and σ_1≤i≤q(β_ix_i + β_iix²_i + β_iiix³_i), where x_i≥ 0, x₁ + . . . + x_q = 1. For the quadratic model, a saturated symmetric axial design is used, in which support points are of the form (x₁, . . . , x_q) = [1 ? (q?1)δ_i, δ_i, . . . , δ_i], where i = 1, 2 and 0 ≤δ₂ <_{δ1 ≤} 1/(q ?1). It is proved that when 3 ≤q≤ 6, the above design is D-optimal if δ₂ = 0 and δ₁ = 1/(q?1), and when q≥ 7 it is D-optimal if δ₂ = 0 and δ₁ = [5q?1 ? (9q²?10q + 1)^1/2]/(4q²). Similar results exist for the cubic model, with support points of the form (x₁, . . . , x_q) = [1 ? (q?1)δ_i, δ_i, . . . , δ_i], where i = 1, 2, 3 and 0 = δ₃ <_δ2 < δ_{1 ≤}1/(q?1). The saturated D-optimal axial design and D-optimal design for the quadratic model are compared in terms of their efficiency and uniformity.     

Kolmogorov-type tests of goodness-of-fit against stochastic ordering

This article addresses the problem of testing the null hypothesis H₀ that a random sample of size n is from a distribution with the completely specified continuous cumulative distribution function F_n(x). Kolmogorov-type tests for H₀ are based on the statistics C⁺ _n = Sup[F_n(x)?F₀(x)] and C^? _n=Sup[F₀(x)?F_n(x)], where F_n(x) is an empirical distribution function. Let F(x) be the true cumulative distribution function, and consider the ordered alternative H₁: F(x)≥F₀(x) for all x and with strict inequality for some x. Although it is natural to reject H₀ and accept H₁ if C ⁺ _n is large, this article shows that a test that is superior in some ways rejects F₀ and accepts H₁ if C^mdash _n is small. Properties of the two tests are compared based on theoretical results and simulated results.     

An asymptotic representation of a ratio of two statistics and its applications

Some statistics in common use take a form of a ratio of two statistics.In this paper, we will discuss asymptotic properties of the ratio statistic.We obtain an asymptotic representation of the ratio with remainder term o _p(n ^-1) and a Edgeworth expansion with remainder term o(n ^-1/2) And as example, the asymptotic representation and the Edgeworth expansion of the jackknife skewness estimator for U-statistics are established and we discuss the biases of the skewness estimator theoretically.We also apply the result to an estimator of Pearson’s coefficient of variation and the sample correlation coefficient.     

Simultaneous estimation of several CDF’s: homogeneity constraint

Let {x_ij(1 ? j ? n_i)|i = 1, 2, …, k} be k independent samples of size n_j from respective distributions of functions F_j(x)(1 ? j ? k). A classical statistical problem is to test whether these k samples came from a common distribution function, F(x) whose form may or may not be known. In this paper, we consider the complementary problem of estimating the distribution functions suspected to be homogeneous in order to improve the basic estimator known as “empirical distribution function” (edf), in an asymptotic setup. Accordingly, we consider four additional estimators, namely, the restricted estimator (RE), the preliminary test estimator (PTE), the shrinkage estimator (SE), and the positive rule shrinkage estimator (PRSE) and study their characteristic properties based on the mean squared error (MSE) and relative risk efficiency (RRE) with tables and graphs. We observed that for k ? 4, the positive rule SE performs uniformly better than both shrinkage and the unrestricted estimator, while PTEs works reasonably well for k < 4.     

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.     

A remark on estimating the mean of a normal distribution with known coefficient of variation

Let X₁, X₂, …, X_n be iid N(μ, aμ²) (a>0) random variables with an unknown mean μ>0 and known coefficient of variation (CV) √a. The estimation of μ is revisited and it is shown that a modified version of an unbiased estimator of μ [cf. Khan RA. A note on estimating the mean of a normal distribution with known CV. J Am Stat Assoc. 1968;63:1039–1041] is more efficient. A certain linear minimum mean square estimator of Gleser and Healy [Estimating the mean of a normal distribution with known CV. J Am Stat Assoc. 1976;71:977–981] is also modified and improved. These improved estimators are being compared with the maximum likelihood estimator under squared-error loss function. Based on asymptotic consideration, a large sample confidence interval is also mentioned.     

Improved estimators for the selected location parameters

_i , i = 1, 2, ..., k be k independent exponential populations with different unknown location parameters θ _i , i = 1, 2, ..., k and common known scale parameter σ. Let Y _i denote the smallest observation based on a random sample of size n from the i-th population. Suppose a subset of the given k population is selected using the subset selection procedure according to which the population π _i is selected iff Y _i ≥Y ₍₁₎−d, where Y ₍₁₎ is the largest of the Y _i 's and d is some suitable constant. The estimation of the location parameters associated with the selected populations is considered for the squared error loss. It is observed that the natural estimator dominates the unbiased estimator. It is also shown that the natural estimator itself is inadmissible and a class of improved estimators that dominate the natural estimator is obtained. The improved estimators are consistent and their risks are shown to be O(kn ⁻²). As a special case, we obtain the coresponding results for the estimation of θ₍₁₎, the parameter associated with Y ₍₁₎. Received: January 6, 1998; revised version: July 11, 2000     

Estimation of the derivative of a density and related functions

Let Y₁,…,Y _n, (Y₁ <Y₂<…<Y _n) be the order statistics of a random sample from a distribution F with density f on the realline. This paper gives a class of estimators of the derivativef'(x) of the density f at points x for which f has

a continuoussecond derivative. These estimators are based on spacings inthe order statistics Y_j+kn -y _j j = 1,…,n-k_n,k_n<n.     

Estimation and Inference for Linear Panel Data Models Under Misspecification When Both n and T are Large

This article considers fixed effects (FE) estimation for linear panel data models under possible model misspecification when both the number of individuals, n, and the number of time periods, T, are large. We first clarify the probability limit of the FE estimator and argue that this probability limit can be regarded as a pseudo-true parameter. We then establish the asymptotic distributional properties of the FE estimator around the pseudo-true parameter when n and T jointly go to infinity. Notably, we show that the FE estimator suffers from the incidental parameters bias of which the top order is O(T^{? 1}), and even after the incidental parameters bias is completely removed, the rate of convergence of the FE estimator depends on the degree of model misspecification and is either (nT)^{? 1/2} or n^{? 1/2}. Second, we establish asymptotically valid inference on the (pseudo-true) parameter. Specifically, we derive the asymptotic properties of the clustered covariance matrix (CCM) estimator and the cross-section bootstrap, and show that they are robust to model misspecification. This establishes a rigorous theoretical ground for the use of the CCM estimator and the cross-section bootstrap when model misspecification and the incidental parameters bias (in the coefficient estimate) are present. We conduct Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the finite sample performance of the estimators and inference methods, together with a simple application to the unemployment dynamics in the U.S.     

Estimating population size with truncated sampling

Let X₁, X₂,…,X_n be independent, indentically distributed random variables with density f(x,θ) with respect to a σ-finite measure μ. Let R be a measurable set in the sample space X. The value of X is observable if X ? (X?R) and not otherwise. The number J of observable X’s is binomial, N, Q, Q = 1?P(X ? R). On the basis of J observations, it is desired to estimate N and θ. Estimators considered are conditional and unconditional maximum likelihood and modified maximum likelihood using a prior weight function to modify the likelihood before maximizing. Asymptotic expansions are developed for the [Ncirc]’s of the form [Ncirc] = N + α√N + β + o_p(1), where α and β are random variables. All estimators have the same α, which has mean 0, variance σ² (a function of θ) and is asymptotically normal. Hence all are asymptotically equivalent by the usual limit distributional theory. The β’s differ and Eβ can be considered an “asymptotic bias”. Formulas are developed to compare the asymptotic biases of the various estimators. For a scale parameter family of absolutely continuous distributions with X = (0,∞) and R = (T,∞), special formuli are developed and a best estimator is found.     

The number of records within a random interval of the current record value

LetX ₁,X ₂, … be a sequence of i.i.d. random variables with some continuous distribution functionF. LetX(n) be then-th record value associated with this sequence and μ _n ⁻ , μ _n ⁺ be the variables that count the number of record values belonging to the random intervals(f−(X(n)), X(n)), (X(n), f+(X(n))), wheref−, f+ are two continuous functions satisfyingf−(x)<x, f+(x)>x. Properties of μ _n ⁻ , μ _n ⁺ are studied in the present paper. Some statistical applications connected with these variables are also provided.     

Pitman-closeness of some preliminary test and shrinkage estimators

For the model X ～ N_p: (θ,I)preliminary test estimator (PTE), shrinkage and positive-rule versions of the MLE (X) of θare mutually compared in the light of the Pitman closeness measure. The usual dominance properties of these estimators pertaining to the conventional quadratic loss criterion are shown to remain intact in the current context too. In an asymptotic setup, the conclusions hold for a much wider class of estimators pertaining to general parametric and nonparametric models.     

Bias of the lse estimator of the first order autoregressive model under tukey contamination

Results of an exhaustive study of the bias of the least square estimator (LSE) of an first order autoregression coefficient α in a contaminated Gaussian model are presented. The model describes the following situation. The process is defined as X_t = α X_t-1 + Y_t . Until a specified time T, Y_t are iid normal N(0, 1). At the moment T we start our observations and since then the distribution of Y_t, t≥T, is a Tukey mixture T(εσ) = (1 – ε)N(0,1) + εN(0, σ²). Bias of LSE as a function of α and ε, and σ² is considered. A rather unexpected fact is revealed: given α and ε, the bias does not change montonically with σ (“the magnitude of the contaminant”), and similarly, given α and σ, the bias is not growing with ε (“the amount of contaminants”).     

Optimal Nonparametric Quantile Estimators. Towards a General Theory. A Survey

“Nonparametric” in the title is used to say that observations X ₁,…,X _n come from an unknown distribution F ∈ ? with ? being the class of all continuous and strictly increasing distribution functions. The problem is to estimate the quantile of a given order q ∈ (0,1) of the distribution F. The class ? of distributions is very large; it is so large that even X _nq:n , where nq is an integer, may be very poor estimator of the qth quantile. To assess the performance of estimators no properties based on moments may be used: expected values of estimators should be replaced by their medians, their variances—by some characteristics of concentration of distributions around the median. If an estimator is median-biased for one of distributions, the bias of the estimator may be infinitely large for other distributions. In the note optimal estimators with respect to various criteria of optimality are presented. The pivotal function F(T) of the estimator T is introduced which enables us to apply the classical statistical approach.     

Expected Absolute Error of the Usual Estimator of the Binomial Parameter

For X with binomial (n, p) distribution the usual measure of the error of X/n as an estimator of p is its standard error S_n(p) = √{E(X/n – p)²} = √{p(1 – p)/n}. A somewhat more natural measure is the average absolute error D_n(p) = E‖X/n – p‖. This article considers use of D_n(p) instead of S_n(p) in a student's first introduction to statistical estimation. Exact and asymptotic values of D_n(p), and the appearance of its graph, are described in detail. The same is done for the Poisson distribution.     

Combining poisson means

The problem of estimating the Poisson mean is considered based on the two samples in the presence of uncertain prior information (not in the form of distribution) that two independent random samples taken from two possibly identical Poisson populations. The parameter of interest is λ₁ from population I. Three estimators, i.e. the unrestricted estimator, restricted estimator and preliminary test estimator are proposed. Their asymptotic mean squared errors are derived and compared; parameter regions have been found for which restricted and preliminary test estimators are always asymptotically more efficient than the classical estimator. The relative dominance picture of the estimators is presented. Maximum and minimum asymptotic efficiencies of the estimators relative to the classical estimator are tabulated. A max-min rule for the size of the preliminary test is also discussed. A Monte Carlo study is presented to compare the performance of the estimator with that of Kale and Bancroft (1967).