Normality testing for a long-memory sequence using the empirical moment generating function

Moment generating functions and more generally, integral transforms for goodness-of-fit tests have been in use in the last several decades. Given a set of observations, the empirical transforms are easy to compute, being simply a sample mean, and due to uniqueness properties, these functions can be used for goodness-of-fit tests. This paper focuses on time series observations from a stationary process for which the moment generating function exists and the correlations have long-memory. For long-memory processes, the infinite sum of the correlations diverges and the realizations tend to have spurious trend like patterns where there may be none. Our aim is to use the empirical moment generating function to test the null hypothesis that the marginal distribution is Gaussian. We provide a simple proof of a central limit theorem using ideas from Gaussian subordination models (Taqqu, 1975) and derive critical regions for a graphical test of normality, namely the T₃-plot ( Ghosh, 1996). Some simulated and real data examples are used for illustration.     

Secure Bayesian model averaging for horizontally partitioned data

When multiple data owners possess records on different subjects with the same set of attributes—known as horizontally partitioned data—the data owners can improve analyses by concatenating their databases. However, concatenation of data may be infeasible because of confidentiality concerns. In such settings, the data owners can use secure computation techniques to obtain the results of certain analyses on the integrated database without sharing individual records. We present secure computation protocols for Bayesian model averaging and model selection for both linear regression and probit regression. Using simulations based on genuine data, we illustrate the approach for probit regression, and show that it can provide reasonable model selection outputs.     

A new class of generalized logistic distribution

The logistic distribution and the S-shaped pattern of its cumulative distribution and quantile functions have been extensively used in many different spheres affecting human life. By far, the most well-known application of logistic distribution is in the logistic regression that is used for modeling categorical response variables. The exponentiated-exponential logistic distribution, a generalization of the logistic distribution, is obtained using the technique proposed by Alzaatreh et al. (2013 Alzaatreh, A., C. Lee, and F. Famoye. 2013. A new method for generating families of continuous distribution. Metron. 71:63–79.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) of mixing two distributions, hereafter called the EEL distribution. This distribution subsumes various types of logistic distribution. The structural analysis of the distribution in this paper includes limiting behavior, quantiles, moments, mode, skewness, kurtosis, order statistics, the large sample distributions of the sample maximum and the sample minimum, and the distribution of the sample median. For illustrative purposes, a real-life data set is considered as an application of the EEL distribution.     

Strategic planning—A contingency approach—Part 1. The strategic analysis

This article emphasizes a certain approach to business strategy formation exercise, i.e. the adaptive mode. As the 1970s emerge into the uncertain 1980s, and as sophisticated extrapolation is becoming increasingly valueless, there is an even greater case for business planning with the required degree of responsiveness built into it. The authors support this case from literature survey and an actual case study. This is the first of two articles on this subject.     

On some new search designs for 2m factorial experiments

In this paper, we obtain search designs with reasonably small number of treatments which permit the estimation of the general mean and main effects and search of one more unknown possible nonzero effect among two and three factor interactions in 2^m factorial experiments, 3 ? m ? 8.     

Heuristic Estimation of the Efficient Frontier for a Bi-Criteria Scheduling Problem

We examine a single-machine scheduling problem where the objective is to minimize the mean and the variance of the job completion times simultaneously. We seek to identify the efficient frontier which is obtained by parametrically solving a weighted combination of the two criteria. The identification of the true efficient frontier for this problem is notoriously difficult. To estimate the frontier, we propose a heuristic procedure which is quite general and can be applied to other bi-criteria problems as well. It involves repeated applications of a relatively new technique called beam search in an adaptive manner. To evaluate the proposed procedure, we introduce two measures of performance and conduct a computational study. The results of the study indicate that the procedure is highly effective.     

Optimal Delivery Time Quotation and Order Sequencing

This paper examines the problem of quoting a common delivery time for several orders. The decision maker responsible for the quote must trade off the cost associated with a long delivery time against the cost of tardy orders that might be induced by a short delivery time. First, an aggregate cost model is investigated where it is assumed that some cost is incurred if the quoted delivery time exceeds a given threshold and the cost of order tardiness is dependent on the order. Both exact and heuristic solution procedures are proposed for this model. Finally, for the situation where the costs cannot be quantified, a bicriteria formulation of the problem is pursued and the set of nondominated solutions is identified.