Multilevel regression mixture analysis

Summary.  A two-level regression mixture model is discussed and contrasted with the conventional two-level regression model. Simulated and real data shed light on the modelling alternatives. The real data analyses investigate gender differences in mathematics achievement from the US National Education Longitudinal Survey. The two-level regression mixture analyses show that unobserved heterogeneity should not be presupposed to exist only at level 2 at the expense of level 1. Both the simulated and the real data analyses show that level 1 heterogeneity in the form of latent classes can be mistaken for level 2 heterogeneity in the form of the random effects that are used in conventional two-level regression analysis. Because of this, mixture models have an important role to play in multilevel regression analyses. Mixture models allow heterogeneity to be investigated more fully, more correctly attributing different portions of the heterogeneity to the different levels.     

RECENTERED AND RESCALED INSTRUMENTAL VARIABLE ESTIMATION OF TOBIT AND PROBIT MODELS WITH ERRORS IN VARIABLES

Since Durbin (1954) and Sargan (1958), instrumental variable (IV) method has long been one of the most popular procedures among economists and other social scientists to handle linear models with errors-in-variables. A direct application of this method to nonlinear errors-in-variables models, however, fails to yield consistent estimators.

This article restricts attention to Tobit and Probit models and shows that simple recentering and rescaling of the observed dependent variable may restore consistency of the standard IV estimator if the true dependent variable and the IV's are jointly normally distributed. Although the required condition seems rarely to be satisfied by real data, our Monte Carlo experiment suggests that the proposed estimator may be quite robust to the possible deviation from normality.     

Minimization of model inadequacy when observations subject to shift in means and variances

In this article optimality of experimental design for fitting a lower-order polynomial to a higher order response function for the situation in which observations may be subject to shift in means as well as in variances is considered. It is found that Karson, Manson and Hader‘s (1969) optimum designs provide pro-tection, in some sense, against model inadequacies even when observations are subject to shift in means and variances.     

Inference on the Common Variance of Correlated Normal Random Variables

ABSTRACT

Scale equivariant estimators of the common variance σ², of correlated normal random variables, have mean squared errors (MSE) which depend on the unknown correlations. For this reason, a scale equivariant estimator of σ² which uniformly minimizes the MSE does not exist. For the equi-correlated case, we have developed three equivariant estimators of σ²: a Bayesian estimator for invariant prior as well as two non-Bayesian estimators. We then generalized these three estimators for the case of several variables with multiple unknown correlations. In addition, we developed a system of confidence intervals which produce the desired coverage probability while being efficient in terms of expected length.     

A clustering approach to interpretable principal components

A new method for constructing interpretable principal components is proposed. The method first clusters the variables, and then interpretable (sparse) components are constructed from the correlation matrices of the clustered variables. For the first step of the method, a new weighted-variances method for clustering variables is proposed. It reflects the nature of the problem that the interpretable components should maximize the explained variance and thus provide sparse dimension reduction. An important feature of the new clustering procedure is that the optimal number of clusters (and components) can be determined in a non-subjective manner. The new method is illustrated using well-known simulated and real data sets. It clearly outperforms many existing methods for sparse principal component analysis in terms of both explained variance and sparseness.     

PVT筒中气液两相非平衡过程的数值模拟

目前国内外多采用平衡后各组分逸度系数相等的平衡判据来描述两相中各个组分的分配情况，但该法无法进行两相由非平衡初始状态达到平衡状态这一非平衡热力学过程的研究。针对这一问题，提出了引入扩散方程来描述液相和气相各个组分由接触到稳定过程的方法，建立了描述两相非平衡态扩散过程的数学模型，提出了分阶段求解模型的求解算法，并运用该法对PVT筒中气液两相系统由接触到稳定过程的状态进行了分析，得出系统全程压力变化规律及平衡状态下随高度变化的甲烷浓度分布规律。计算结果与实验数据对比验证了该方法的可行性，从而为非平衡态相变问题的分析提供了新的思路。     

On the Complex Quantification of Risk: Systems‐Based Perspective on Terrorism

This article highlights the complexity of the quantification of the multidimensional risk function, develops five systems‐based premises on quantifying the risk of terrorism to a threatened system, and advocates the quantification of vulnerability and resilience through the states of the system. The five premises are: (i) There exists interdependence between a specific threat to a system by terrorist networks and the states of the targeted system, as represented through the system's vulnerability, resilience, and criticality‐impact. (ii) A specific threat, its probability, its timing, the states of the targeted system, and the probability of consequences can be interdependent. (iii) The two questions in the risk assessment process: “What is the likelihood?” and “What are the consequences?” can be interdependent. (iv) Risk management policy options can reduce both the likelihood of a threat to a targeted system and the associated likelihood of consequences by changing the states (including both vulnerability and resilience) of the system. (v) The quantification of risk to a vulnerable system from a specific threat must be built on a systemic and repeatable modeling process, by recognizing that the states of the system constitute an essential step to construct quantitative metrics of the consequences based on intelligence gathering, expert evidence, and other qualitative information. The fact that the states of all systems are functions of time (among other variables) makes the time frame pivotal in each component of the process of risk assessment, management, and communication. Thus, risk to a system, caused by an initiating event (e.g., a threat) is a multidimensional function of the specific threat, its probability and time frame, the states of the system (representing vulnerability and resilience), and the probabilistic multidimensional consequences.     

Exclusion restrictions in instrumental variables equations

In this paper we consider two-stage estimators of parameters of a structural equation in a model with recursive exclusion restrictions on the instrumental variables equations. The estimations considered are simple OLS and GLS estimators after substitution of estimates of the systematic part of the IV equations for the endogenous variables. It is known in the literature that neither imposing the restrictions in the first stage nor ignoring them will in general be more efficient than the alternative. We introduce a class of mixed instrumental variables estimators (MIV) with these possibilities as special cases which yields an estimator which is not only more efficient than the two stage estimators considered in the literature but as efficient as an efficient system estimator like 3SLS.     

Variants of the graph dependent model in extreme value theory

With a set X₁, X₂, .... X_n n random variables, a graph is associated whose vertices are the integers 1,2,..., n and whose edges represent those pairs i and j for which the events {X_i>X} and {X_j>X} do not become “almost independent” for “large X”. With a variety of assumption on the edge set of the graph, the asymptotic distribution of the extremes of the X_j, when properly normalized, is determined. This refines the earlier result of the present author on this kind of dependence, and extends and unifies several known dependent extreme value models.     

A la recherche de la puissance culturelle dans les relations internationales: essai de caractérisation du concept et d'appréhension du phénomène

Dès lors qu'on admet que la puissance se joue sur plusieurs échiquiers politique, militaire, économique et culturel, il importe de prendre la puissance culturelle au sérieux; car, elle marque l'assujettissement des esprits, le contrôle des manières de penser, de représenter ou de signifier par un groupe ou par un individu. On comprend alors que la puissance culturelle soit au c?ur des relations internationales en tant qu'attribut d'acteur étatique ou non étatique, facteur d'hiérarchisation et enjeu.