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Review of International Association for Statistical Education Proceedings: Proceedings of the First Scientific Meeting of the International Association for Statistical Education, Lina Brunelli and Guiseppe Cicchitelli, Editors. U.S. $5 (cost of postage) from International Statistical Institute, 428 Prinses Beatrixlann, 2270 AZ Voorburg, The Netherlands. Includes 49 papers presented in Perugia, Italy, in August 1993; 476 pages. Reviewed by Peter Holmes     

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A linear combination test for combining several tests of the correlation coefficient in the bivariate normal distribution is proposed. The linear combination test is compared with the well-known Fisher method of combining tests. It is shown by a Monte Carlo study that the linear combination test has a larger power.     

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Estimation of covariance components in the multivariate random-effect model with nested covariance structure is discussed. There are two covariance matrices to be estimated, namely, the between-group and the within-group covariance matrices. These two covariance matrices are most often estimated by forming a multivariate analysis of variance and equating mean square matrices to their expectations. Such a procedure involves taking the difference between the between-group mean square and the within-group mean square matrices, and often produces an estimated between-group covariance matrix that is not nonnegative definite. We present estimators of the two covariance matrices that are always proper covariance matrices. The estimators are the restricted maximum likelihood estimators if the random effects are normally distributed. The estimation procedure is extended to more complicated models, including the twofold nested and the mixed-effect models. A numerical example is presented to illustrate the use of the estimation procedure.     

Accent on Teaching Materials: Notices and Reviews of Important Teaching Materials

This article examines the probabilities of outcomes from rolling dice with the dimension 1 × 1 × r for various values of r. Experiments were conducted by school students and university students. The results of the experiments are given and the probabilities examined using a generalized linear model. Notes are also made about the value of the experiment in teaching the groups of students.     

A unified approach to multilevel sample selection models

Abstract

We propose a unified approach for multilevel sample selection models using a generalized result on skew distributions arising from selection. If the underlying distributional assumption is normal, then the resulting density for the outcome is the continuous component of the sample selection density and has links with the closed skew-normal distribution (CSN). The CSN distribution provides a framework which simplifies the derivation of the conditional expectation of the observed data. This generalizes the Heckman’s two-step method to a multilevel sample selection model. Finite-sample performance of the maximum likelihood estimator of this model is studied through a Monte Carlo simulation.     

Evaluation of the parameters of su by rational fractions

A rational fraction approximation is given for a function of one of the parameters defining Johnson's S_UError assessment for a segment of the domain of validity shows remarkable accuracy.     

Sums of powers of binomial coefficients

An asymptotic series for sums of powers of binomial coefficients is derived, the general term being defined and usable with a computer symbolic language. Sums of squares of coefficients in the symmetric case are shown to have a link with classical moment problems, but this property breaks down for cubes and higher powers. Problems of remainders for the asymptotic series are mentioned. Using the reflection formula for I'(.), a continuous form for a binomial function is set up, and this becomes oscillatory outstde the usual range. A new contmued fraction emerges for the logarithm of an adjusted sum of binomial squares. The note is a contribution to the problem of the interpretation of asymptotic series and processes for their convergence acceleration.     

Locking the Wiener Process to its Level-Crossing Time

We consider the specific transformation of a Wiener process {X(t), t ≥ 0} in the presence of an absorbing barrier a that results when this process is “time-locked” with respect to its first passage time T _a through a criterion level a, and the evolution of X(t) is considered backwards (retrospectively) from T _a . Formally, we study the random variables defined by Y(t) ≡ X(T _a  ? t) and derive explicit results for their density and mean, and also for their asymptotic forms. We discuss how our results can aid interpretations of time series “response-locked” to their times of crossing a criterion level.     

Determining the effects of intraclass correlation on factorial experiments

This paper considers the effects of the presence of eqmi-correlation between observations in a k-way factorial experiment, A technique to provide unbiased F-tests is also constructed.     

Estimation of the mean of the exponential distribution with an outlying observation

Given a life testing experiment consisting of n items, n-1 of which have the expected life λ while one could have an expected life λ/α with 0 < α < 1 the problem is. to find a mean square error (MSE) minimizing estimation function. The standard estimators for the homogeneous case (α = 1) overestimate the expected life and their MSE tend to infinity when a tends to 0.

Looking at the estimation problem as an insurance (see Anscombe (1960)) two different “testimators” are compared with respect to their MSE, Numerical results show that an estimation function based on the “Epstein-statistic” x_(n)/[xbar] is the best one.