On shrinkage least squares estimation in a parallelism problem

In a multi-sample simple regression model, generally, homogeneity of the regression slopes leads to improved estimation of the intercepts. Analogous to the preliminary test estimators, (smooth) shrinkage least squares estimators of Intercepts based on the James-Stein rule on regression slopes are considered. Relative pictures on the (asymptotic) risk of the classical, preliminary test and the shrinkage least squares estimators are also presented. None of the preliminary test and shrinkage least squares estimators may dominate over the other, though each of them fares well relative to the other estimators.     

Asymptotic risk comparisions of restricted and unrestricted maximum likelihood estimators

Conditions for choosing between restricted and unrestrieted maximum likelihood estimators based on various asymptotic risk oriteria are derived. These conditions involve the non-centrality parameters of classical and specification test statistics, and are generlizations of well known results for the linear regression model.     

Large sample estimation and prediction for explosive growth curve models

Asymptotic distributions of maximum likelihood estimators for the parameters in explosive growth curve models are derived. Limit distributions of prediction errors when the parameters are estimated are also obtained. The growth curve models are viewed as multivariate time-series models, and the usual time-series methods are used for prediction. Estimation constrained by a hypothesis of homogeneity of growth rates is also considered.     

A new rank test for the K-Sample problem

The treatment sum of squares in the one-way analysis of variance can be expressed in two different ways: as a sum of comparisons between each treatment and the remaining treatments combined, or as a sum of comparisons between the treatments two at a time. When comparisons between treatments are made with the Wilcoxon rank sum statistic, these two expressions lead to two different tests; namely, that of Kruskal and Wallis and one which is essentially the same as that proposed by Crouse (1961,1966). The latter statistic is known to be asymptotically distributed as a chi-squared variable when the numbers of replicates are large. Here it is shown to be asymptotically normal when the replicates are few but the number of treatments is large. For all combinations of numbers of replicates and treatments its empirical distribution is well approximated by a beta distribution     

Asymptotic equivalence of the harrell-davis median estimator and the sample median

This paper presents an asymptotic equivalence result with a sharp rate of convergence forthe sample median and the Harrell-Davis median estimator. The consequences of this result are discussed.     

Pseudo maximum likelihood estimation for the dirichlet-multinomial distribution

Pseudo maximum likelihood estimation (PML) for the Dirich-let-multinomial distribution is proposed and examined in this pa-per. The procedure is compared to that based on moments (MM) for its asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) relative to the maximum likelihood estimate (ML). It is found that PML, requiring much less computational effort than ML and possessing considerably higher ARE than MM, constitutes a good compromise between ML and MM. PML is also found to have very high ARE when an estimate for the scale parameter in the Dirichlet-multinomial distribution is all that is needed.     

Hypotheses testing for a multidimensional parameter of inhomogeneous Poisson processes

We observe a realization of an inhomogeneous Poisson process whose intensity function depends on an unknown multidimensional parameter. We consider the asymptotic behaviour of the Rao score test for a simple null hypothesis against the multilateral alternative. By using the Edgeworth type expansion (under the null hypothesis) for a vector of stochastic integrals with respect to the Poisson process, we refine the (classic) threshold of the test (obtained by the central limit theorem), which improves the first type probability of error. The expansion allows us to describe the power of the test under the local alternative, i.e. a sequence of alternatives, which converge to the null hypothesis with a certain rate. The rates can be different for components of the parameter.     

Ridge regression estimators in the linear regression models with non-spherical errors

The present paper considers a family of ordinary ridge regression estimators in the linear regression model when the disturbances covariance matrix depends upon a few unknown parameters. An asymptotic expansion for the distribution of the ridge regression estimator is developed and under the quadratic loss function its asymptotic risk is compared with that of the feasible GLS estimator.     

Estimating the discovery rate in a continuous time recapture model

We consider a family of marked Poisson process models for the discovery of distinct errors in a computer program and also for sampling, in continu-ous time, a population containing an unknown number of distinct biological species. Captures (selections or discoveries) are assumed to occur at a con-stant rate, each event consisting of the discovery of a distinct process (error or species) or the recurrence of a previously discovered process. Using a generalization of Nayak’s (1988) model we derive confidence limits for the discovery rate. The limits are based on the asymptotic distribution of a scaled logarithmic function of the maximum likelihood estimator.     

On estimating the dimensionality in discriminant analysis

In discriminant analysis, the dimension of the hyperplane which population mean vectors span is called the dimensionality. The procedures commonly used to estimate this dimension involve testing a sequence of dimensionality hypotheses as well as model fitting approaches based on (consistent) Akaike's method, (modified) Mallows' method and Schwarz's method. The marginal log-likelihood (MLL) method is developed and the asymptotic distribution of the dimensionality estimated by this method for normal populations is derived. Furthermore a modified marginal log-likelihood (MMLL) method is also considered. The MLL method is not consistent for large samples and two modified criteria are proposed which attain asymptotic consistency. Some comments are made with regard to the robustness of this method to departures from normality. The operating characteristics of the various methods proposed are examined and compared.