The General Expressions for the Moments of the Stochastic Shrinkage Parameters of the Liu Type Estimator

ABSTRACT

One of the problems with the Liu estimator is the appropriate value for the unknown biasing parameter d. In this article we consider the optimum value for d and give upper bound for the expected value of the estimator of this biasing parameter. We also derive the general expressions for the moments of the stochastic shrinkage parameters of the Liu estimator and the generalized Liu estimator. Numerical calculations are carried out to illustrate the behavior of the mean and variance of the biasing parameter. Also, a numerical example is given to illustrate the effect of the biasing parameter d, on the mean square error of the Liu estimator.     

Book Reviews

This article uses a Bayesian unit-root test in stochastic volatility models. The time series of interest is the volatility that is unobservable. The unit-root testing is based on the posterior odds ratio, which is approximated by Markov-chain Monte Carlo methods. Simulations show that the testing procedure is efficient for moderate sample size. The unit-root hypothesis is rejected in seven market indexes, and some evidence of nonstationarity is observed in the TWSI of Taiwan.     

Two Canonical VARMA Forms: Scalar Component Models Vis-à-Vis the Echelon Form

In this article we study two methodologies which identify and specify canonical form VARMA models. The two methodologies are: (1) an extension of the scalar component methodology which specifies canonical VARMA models by identifying scalar components through canonical correlations analysis; and (2) the Echelon form methodology, which specifies canonical VARMA models through the estimation of Kronecker indices. We compare the actual forms and the methodologies on three levels. Firstly, we present a theoretical comparison. Secondly, we present a Monte Carlo simulation study that compares the performances of the two methodologies in identifying some pre-specified data generating processes. Lastly, we compare the out-of-sample forecast performance of the two forms when models are fitted to real macroeconomic data.     

Anarchism,Revolution and Reaction: Catalan Labour and the Crisis of the Spanish State, 1898–1923

The British Journal of Sociology, XXVII, no. 3, September 1976 (special issue ‘Sociology and history'), 117 (Routledge and Kegan Paul, £2.50).

Michael W. Dols, The Black Death in the Middle East (1977), xviii+390 (Princeton University Press, Princeton, £15.80).

T. W. Moody, F. X. Martin and F. J. Byrne (eds), A Sew History of Ireland, Vol. III, Early Modern Ireland 1534–1691 (1976), lxiii+736 (Clarendon Press: Oxford University Press, £17).

Edward Shorter, The Making of the Modern Family (1976), xiv+369 (Collins, £4.50).

Dirk Blasius, Bürgerliche Gesellschaft und Kriminalität: zur Sozialgeschichte Preussens im Vormärz (1976), 203 (Vandenhoeck &; Ruprecht, Göttingen, DM 38).

Carsten Rüther, Räuber und Gauner in Deutschland: das Organisierte Bandenwesen im 18. und Frühen 19. Jahrhundert (1976), 197 (Vandenhoeck &; Ruprecht, Göttingen, no price given).

James S. Donnelly Jr, The Land and People of Nineteenth‐Century Cork: The Rural Economy and the Land Question (1975), xiv+440 (Routledge and Kegan Paul, £9.95).

Herbert G. Gutman, Work, Culture and Society in Industrializing America. Essays in American Working‐Class and Social History (1976), xiv+343 (Alfred Knopf, New York, $12.50, paperback $7).

James Obelkevich, Religion and Rural Society: South Lindsey 1825–1875 (1976), xiv+353 (Oxford University Press, £12.00).

R. J. Morris, Cholera 1832 (1976), 228+vii (Croom Helm, £7.50).

Eugen Weber, Peasants into Frenchmen: The Modernisation of Rural France 1870–1914 (1977), xv+615 (Chatto &; Windus, £12.00).

Stuart D. Brandes, American Welfare Capitalism 1880–1940 (1976), ix+210 (University of Chicago Press, Chicago, £10.55).

Charles van Onselen, Chibaro ‐ African Mine Labour in Southern Rhodesia, 1900–1933 (1976) 326 (Pluto Press, £7.50).     

Book reviews

Black Atlantic: Modernity and Double Consciousness, Paul Gilroy, Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, October 1993.     

Estimand framework: Are we asking the right questions? A case study in the solid tumor setting

The estimand framework requires a precise definition of the clinical question of interest (the estimand) as different ways of accounting for “intercurrent” events post randomization may result in different scientific questions. The initiation of subsequent therapy is common in oncology clinical trials and is considered an intercurrent event if the start of such therapy occurs prior to a recurrence or progression event. Three possible ways to account for this intercurrent event in the analysis are to censor at initiation, consider recurrence or progression events (including death) that occur before and after the initiation of subsequent therapy, or consider the start of subsequent therapy as an event in and of itself. The new estimand framework clarifies that these analyses address different questions (“does the drug delay recurrence if no patient had received subsequent therapy?” vs “does the drug delay recurrence with or without subsequent therapy?” vs “does the drug delay recurrence or start of subsequent therapy?”). The framework facilitates discussions during clinical trial planning and design to ensure alignment between the key question of interest, the analysis, and interpretation. This article is a result of a cross-industry collaboration to connect the International Council for Harmonisation E9 addendum concepts to applications. Data from previously reported randomized phase 3 studies in the renal cell carcinoma setting are used to consider common intercurrent events in solid tumor studies, and to illustrate different scientific questions and the consequences of the estimand choice for study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation.     

More Flexible Yet Less Developed? Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Labor Flexibilization and Gross Domestic Product in Crisis-Hit European Union Regions

Social Indicators Research - This study conducts a spatio-temporal analysis of labor flexibilization and GDP per capita change (gross domestic product) with focus on their interrelation in European...