Classification when the covariate vectors have unequal dimensions

This article deals with the problem of statistical classification when the covariate vectors can have unequal dimensions. Representations of the theoretically best classifier are given. We also propose a number of procedures for constructing consistent classifiers. Both parametric and nonparametric situations are considered but the emphasis is on the latter case. Numerical examples are also given.     

Unbiased and almost unbiased ratio estimators of the population mean in ranked set sampling

In this paper we study the problem of reducing the bias of the ratio estimator of the population mean in a ranked set sampling (RSS) design. We first propose a jackknifed RSS-ratio estimator and then introduce a class of almost unbiased RSS-ratio estimators of the population mean. We also present an unbiased RSS-ratio estimator of the mean using the idea of Hartley and Ross (Nature 174:270?C271, 1954) which performs better than its counterpart with simple random sample data. We show that under certain conditions the proposed unbiased and almost unbiased RSS-ratio estimators perform better than the commonly used (biased) RSS-ratio estimator in estimating the population mean in terms of the mean square error. The theoretical results are augmented by a simulation study using a wheat yield data set from the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture to demonstrate the practical benefits of our proposed ratio-type estimators relative to the RSS-ratio estimator in reducing the bias in estimating the average wheat production.     

Inference on P(Y < X) in Bivariate Rayleigh Distribution

This paper deals with the estimation of reliability R = P(Y < X) when X is a random strength of a component subjected to a random stress Y, and (X, Y) follows a bivariate Rayleigh distribution. The maximum likelihood estimator of R and its asymptotic distribution are obtained. An asymptotic confidence interval of R is constructed using the asymptotic distribution. Also, two confidence intervals are proposed based on Bootstrap method and a computational approach. Testing of the reliability based on asymptotic distribution of R is discussed. Simulation study to investigate performance of the confidence intervals and tests has been carried out. Also, a numerical example is given to illustrate the proposed approaches.     

Characterization of the Pearson system of distributions based on reliability measures

LetX be a random variable andX ^(w) be a weighted random variable corresponding toX. In this paper, we intend to characterize the Pearson system of distributions by a relationship between reliability measures ofX andX ^(w), for some weight functionw>0.     

Determinants of Profitability of Banking Sector in India

India currently is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. One sector of Indian economy that has played a critical role in transforming the Indian economy has been its banking sector. But this sector of Indian economy has also gone through a major transition that is still in progress. Many events and policies have contributed in this transition. One pivotal variable has been the growing profitability of this sector in the recent years. But profitability in banking sector is affected by numerous factors. These factors can be internal or external. In this research we shall try to examine the most important factors that may stem from both internal and external factors, which affect profitability of Indian banking sector. For this study a balanced panel data set is used that is drawn from Indian banking industry. The data is compiled for the purpose of investigating the nature of the relationship between the profitability and the factors that determine profitability of banks in India. The results of the study clearly demonstrate a close correlation between both internal and external factors and the level of profitability of banks in India.     

Patronage and Public Goods Provisioning in an Unequal Land

Social Indicators Research - This study explores the relationship between economic and political inequalities and access to public goods provisioning in Pakistan. We construct measures of political...     

On the dynamic cumulative residual entropy

Recently, Rao et al. [(2004) Cumulative residual entropy: a new measure of information. IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 50(6), 1220–1228] have proposed a new measure of uncertainty, called cumulative residual entropy (CRE), in a distribution function F and obtained some properties and applications of that. In the present paper, we propose a dynamic form of CRE and obtain some of its properties. We show how CRE (and its dynamic version) is connected with well-known reliability measures such as the mean residual life time.     

Some results on conditional expectations of lower record values

In this paper, we propose a measure for obtaining the expectation of time between two lower k-records under the condition that the greater one is given. Several properties of the proposed measure are derived. Some characterization results and stochastic comparisons based on the new measure are also provided.