Limiting admissible estimators for variance components

Simultaneous estimation of the vector of the variance components for mixed and random models under the quadratic loss function is considered. For a large class of such models there are identified classes of admissible biased invariant quadratic estimators that are better than some admissible unbiased estimators. Numerous numerical results presented in the paper show that for many of the commonly used balanced models the improvements in the quadratic risk may be considerable over a large set of the parameter space.     

On tests in variance components models 2

A procedure for finding exact tests for some hypotheses on variance components in unbalanced models is proposed. It is based on F-distributed statistics got by an orthogonal decomposition of the sample space.     

Confidence intervals and tests on the variance ratio in random models with two variance components

The LM test is modified to test any value of the ratio of two variance components in a mixed effects linear model with two variance components. The test is exact, so it can be used to construct exact confidence intervals on this ratio.Exact Neyman-Pearson (NP) tests on the variance ratio are described.Their powers provide attainable upper bounds on powers of tests on the variance ratio.Efficiencies of LM tests, which include ANOVA tests, and NP tests are compared for unbalanced, random, one-way ANOVA models.Confidence intervals corresponding to LM tests and NP tests are described.     

Bayesian inference for the variance components in general mixed linear models

The general mixed linear model, containing both the fixed and random effects, is considered. Using gamma priors for the variance components, the conditional posterior distributions of the fixed effects and the variance components, conditional on the random effects, are obtained. Using the normal approximation for the multiple t distribution, approximations are obtained for the posterior distributions of the variance components in infinite series form. The same approximation Is used to obtain closed expressions for the moments of the variance components. An example is considered to illustrate the procedure and a numerical study examines the closeness of the approximations.     

Nonnegative unbiased estimability of linear combinations of two variance components

For a general mixed model with two variance components θ₁ and θ₂, a criterion for a function q₁θ₁+q₂θ₂ to admit an unbiased nonnegative definite quadratic estimator is established in a form that allows answering the question of existence of such an estimator more explicitly than with the use of the criteria known hitherto. An application of this result to the case of a random one-way model shows that for many unbalanced models the estimability criterion is expressible directly by the largest of the numbers of observations within levels, thus extending the criterion established by LaMotte (1973) for balanced models.     

Unbiasedness of two-stage estimation and prediction procedures for mixed linear models

The traditional method for estimating or predicting linear combinations of the fixed effects and realized values of the random effects in mixed linear models is first to estimate the variance components and then to proceed as if the estimated values of the variance components were the true values. This two-stage procedure gives unbiased estimators or predictors of the linear combinations provided the data vector is symmetrically distributed about its expected value and provided the variance component estimators are translation-invariant and are even functions of the data vector. The standard procedures for estimating the variance components yield even, translation-invariant estimators.     

Quadratic estimation in mixed linear models with two variance components

Explicit expressions for Bayes invariant quadratic estimates, biased and unbiased, are presented and proved to cover the entire class of admissible estimates in the considered classes. An unbalanced genetic model is studied for demonstration.     

Finite-population variance estimation under systematic sampling schemes with multiple random starts

Motivated by Sampath [Finite population variance estimation under LSS with multiple random starts, Commun. Statist. – Theory Methods 38 (2009), pp. 3596–3607], in this paper unbiased estimators for population variance have been developed under linear systematic sampling, balanced systematic sampling and modified systematic sampling with multiple random starts. Expressions for variances of the estimators are also developed. Detailed numerical comparative studies have been carried out to study the performances of the estimators under various systematic sampling schemes with multiple random starts and some interesting conclusions have been drawn out of the study.     

Minimum variance unbiased estimation in doubly type II censored samples from families of distributions involving two truncation parameters

In this paper we construct uniformly minimum variance unbiased estimators for U-estimable functions when the underlying family of distributions involves two unknown truncation parameters and the sample is doubly Type II censored. Previous relevant results for the complete sample case are obtained as special cases of our results.     

On invariant quadratic unbiased estimation of variance components

The present study deals with three different invarint quadratic unbiased estimators (IQUE) for variance components namely quadratic least squares estimators (QLSE), weighted quadratic least squares estimators (WQLSE) and Mitra type estimators (MTE). The variance and covariances of these three different estimators are presented for unbalanced one-way random model. The relative performances of these estimators are assessed based on different optimality criteria like, D-optimality, T-optimality and M-optimality together with variances of these estimators. As a result, it has been shown that MTE has optimal properties.     

Bootstrap tests for variance components in generalized linear mixed models

In many applications of generalized linear mixed models to clustered correlated or longitudinal data, often we are interested in testing whether a random effects variance component is zero. The usual asymptotic mixture of chi‐square distributions of the score statistic for testing constrained variance components does not necessarily hold. In this article, the author proposes and explores a parametric bootstrap test that appears to be valid based on its estimated level of significance under the null hypothesis. Results from a simulation study indicate that the bootstrap test has a level much closer to the nominal one while the asymptotic test is conservative, and is more powerful than the usual asymptotic score test based on a mixture of chi‐squares. The proposed bootstrap test is illustrated using two sets of real‐life data obtained from clinical trials. The Canadian Journal of Statistics © 2009 Statistical Society of Canada     

Confidence intervals for variance components in unbalanced one-way random effects model using non-normal distributions

In scenarios where the variance of a response variable can be attributed to two sources of variation, a confidence interval for a ratio of variance components gives information about the relative importance of the two sources. For example, if measurements taken from different laboratories are nine times more variable than the measurements taken from within the laboratories, then 90% of the variance in the responses is due to the variability amongst the laboratories and 10% of the variance in the responses is due to the variability within the laboratories. Assuming normally distributed sources of variation, confidence intervals for variance components are readily available. In this paper, however, simulation studies are conducted to evaluate the performance of confidence intervals under non-normal distribution assumptions. Confidence intervals based on the pivotal quantity method, fiducial inference, and the large-sample properties of the restricted maximum likelihood (REML) estimator are considered. Simulation results and an empirical example suggest that the REML-based confidence interval is favored over the other two procedures in unbalanced one-way random effects model.     

Estimation of regression vectors in linear mixed models with Dirichlet process random effects

The Dirichlet process has been used extensively in Bayesian non parametric modeling, and has proven to be very useful. In particular, mixed models with Dirichlet process random effects have been used in modeling many types of data and can often outperform their normal random effect counterparts. Here we examine the linear mixed model with Dirichlet process random effects from a classical view, and derive the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) of the fixed effects. We are also able to calculate the resulting covariance matrix and find that the covariance is directly related to the precision parameter of the Dirichlet process, giving a new interpretation of this parameter. We also characterize the relationship between the BLUE and the ordinary least-squares (OLS) estimator and show how confidence intervals can be approximated.     

A note on the greenwood variance estimator in cohort life tables: Isolating the effect of one source of bias

A modification of the Greenwood variance estimator is defined and shown to be free of bias whenever its constitu­ent interval estimators are conditionally unbiased, given the sample size at the start of the interval. Using the modified estimator as a standard of comparison, the original Greenwood estimator is seen to have an intrinsic positive bias.Under­estimation of variances through the use of Greenwood's formula must be due to bias in the constituent interval estimators and/or, with fixed interval bounds, due to disregarding the random character of the total number of life table intervals to exhaustion of ttje sample. Some easy to prove properties of the modified and the original Greenwood estimators are stated that apply in the absence of censoring. A suggest­ion is made for reducing the bias of the interval variance estimators.     

Testing variance components in balanced linear growth curve models

It is well known that the testing of zero variance components is a non-standard problem since the null hypothesis is on the boundary of the parameter space. The usual asymptotic chi-square distribution of the likelihood ratio and score statistics under the null does not necessarily hold because of this null hypothesis. To circumvent this difficulty in balanced linear growth curve models, we introduce an appropriate test statistic and suggest a permutation procedure to approximate its finite-sample distribution. The proposed test alleviates the necessity of any distributional assumptions for the random effects and errors and can easily be applied for testing multiple variance components. Our simulation studies show that the proposed test has Type I error rate close to the nominal level. The power of the proposed test is also compared with the likelihood ratio test in the simulations. An application on data from an orthodontic study is presented and discussed.     

Variance components estimation for the balanced random effects model under mixed prior distributions

For the balanced random effects models, when the variance components are correlated either naturally or through common prior structures, by assuming a mixed prior distribution for the variance components, we propose some new Bayesian estimators. To contrast and compare the new estimators with the minimum variance unbiased (MVUE) and restricted maximum likelihood estimators (RMLE), some simulation studies are also carried out. It turns out that the proposed estimators have smaller mean squared errors than the MVUE and RMLE.     

A new generalized confidence interval for the among-group variance in the heteroscedastic one-way random effects model

Based on the generalized inference idea, a new kind of generalized confidence intervals is derived for the among-group variance component in the heteroscedastic one-way random effects model. We construct structure equations of all variance components in the model based on their minimal sufficient statistics; meanwhile, the fiducial generalized pivotal quantity (FGPQ) can be obtained through solving an implicit equation of the parameter of interest. Then, the confidence interval is derived naturally from the FGPQ. Simulation results demonstrate that the new procedure performs very well in terms of both empirical coverage probability and average interval length.     

An efficient procedure for computing minque of variance components and generalized least squares estimates of fixed effects

An efficient method for computing minimum norm quadratic unbiased estimates (MINQUE) of variance components and generalized least squares estimates of the fixed effects in the mixed model is developed. The computing algorithm uses a modification of the W transformation.     

The effect of number of clusters and cluster size on statistical power and Type I error rates when testing random effects variance components in multilevel linear and logistic regression models

When using multilevel regression models that incorporate cluster-specific random effects, the Wald and the likelihood ratio (LR) tests are used for testing the null hypothesis that the variance of the random effects distribution is equal to zero. We conducted a series of Monte Carlo simulations to examine the effect of the number of clusters and the number of subjects per cluster on the statistical power to detect a non-null random effects variance and to compare the empirical type I error rates of the Wald and LR tests. Statistical power increased with increasing number of clusters and number of subjects per cluster. Statistical power was greater for the LR test than for the Wald test. These results applied to both the linear and logistic regressions, but were more pronounced for the latter. The use of the LR test is preferable to the use of the Wald test.