A comparative study of confidence intervals for negative binomial proportion

In this paper, we investigate four existing and three new confidence interval estimators for the negative binomial proportion (i.e., proportion under inverse/negative binomial sampling). An extensive and systematic comparative study among these confidence interval estimators through Monte Carlo simulations is presented. The performance of these confidence intervals are evaluated in terms of their coverage probabilities and expected interval widths. Our simulation studies suggest that the confidence interval estimator based on saddlepoint approximation is more appealing for large coverage levels (e.g., nominal level≤1% ) whereas the score confidence interval estimator is more desirable for those commonly used coverage levels (e.g., nominal level>1% ). We illustrate these confidence interval construction methods with a real data set from a maternal congenital heart disease study.     

Fitting the generalized lambda distribution to pre-binned data

Density estimation for pre-binned data is challenging due to the loss of exact position information of the original observations. Traditional kernel density estimation methods cannot be applied when data are pre-binned in unequally spaced bins or when one or more bins are semi-infinite intervals. We propose a novel density estimation approach using the generalized lambda distribution (GLD) for data that have been pre-binned over a sequence of consecutive bins. This method enjoys the high power of the parametric model and the great shape flexibility of the GLD. The performances of the proposed estimators are benchmarked via simulation studies. Both simulation results and a real data application show that the proposed density estimators work well for data of moderate or large sizes.     

现代社会隐私权和知情权的边界

现代社会是权利的社会,也是权利冲突频发的社会。权利之间的冲突缘起于法律规则的模糊性、权利的滥用和权利的交互性。其实质是一种客观存在的事实而非理论预设和逻辑分析的结果。权利冲突可以大致界分为主体间的权利冲突、价值冲突、利益冲突三种类型;权利间的冲突需要借助社会控制模式(个人控制、组织控制、法律控制)并通过价值平衡方法来解决。     

Bayesian penalized B-spline estimation approach for epidemic models

Ordinary differential equations (ODEs) are normally used to model dynamic processes in applied sciences such as biology, engineering, physics, and many other areas. In these models, the parameters are usually unknown, and thus they are often specified artificially or empirically. Alternatively, a feasible method is to estimate the parameters based on observed data. In this study, we propose a Bayesian penalized B-spline approach to estimate the parameters and initial values for ODEs used in epidemiology. We evaluated the efficiency of the proposed method based on simulations using the Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for the Kermack–McKendrick model. The proposed approach is also illustrated based on a real application to the transmission dynamics of hepatitis C virus in mainland China.     

服装系列设计方法之“抽象方程”论

通过长期的实践教学经验总结,将服装系列设计方法与数学方程联系在一起,形成服装系列设计的"抽象方程"理论,使服装系列设计具有了定向、定量、明确、有序的特征,力求寻找一条由简到繁、由易到难、循序渐进的学习实践方法,帮助服装设计初学者尽早摆脱设计瓶颈,步入设计正轨。     

1906-1908年的郑孝胥与预备立宪公会

考虑到我国未来年度的OD分布预测中的路网构成变化、区域经济布局变动、区域经济增长速度差异等一些具有时变性和特殊性因素，采用在“四阶段法”运量预测基础上改进而成的“三阶段法”进行高速铁路短期客运量预测。首先采用组合预测模型进行趋势运量预测，然后采用多元LOGIT模型进行方式分担，最后采用弹性系数诱增模型进行诱增运量预测。以京沪高铁为例，采用“三阶段法”预测了2014年和2015年京沪高铁本线及跨线单向客流量。     

Mean shift and influence measures in linear measurement error models with stochastic linear restrictions

We present influence diagnostics for linear measurement error models with stochastic linear restrictions using the corrected likelihood of Nakamura in 1990. The case deletion and mean shift outlier models are developed to identify outlying and influential observations. We derive a corrected score test statistic for outlier detection based on mean shift outlier models. The analogs of Cook's distance and likelihood distance are proposed to determine influential observations based on case deletion models. A parametric bootstrap procedure is used to obtain empirical distributions of the test statistics and a simulation study has been used to evaluate the performance of the proposed estimators based on the mean squares error criterion and the score test statistic. Finally, a numerical example is given to illustrate the theoretical results.     

Asymptotic hypothesis test to simultaneously compare the weighted kappa coefficients of multiple binary diagnostic tests in the presence of ignorable missing data

The weighted kappa coefficient of a binary diagnostic test is a measure of the beyond-chance agreement between the diagnostic test and the gold standard, and is a measure that allows us to assess and compare the performance of binary diagnostic tests. In the presence of partial disease verification, the comparison of the weighted kappa coefficients of two or more binary diagnostic tests cannot be carried out ignoring the individuals with an unknown disease status, since the estimators obtained would be affected by verification bias. In this article, we propose a global hypothesis test based on the chi-square distribution to simultaneously compare the weighted kappa coefficients when in the presence of partial disease verification the missing data mechanism is ignorable. Simulation experiments have been carried out to study the type I error and the power of the global hypothesis test. The results have been applied to the diagnosis of coronary disease.     

Assessing respondent-driven sampling: A simulation study across different networks

The purpose was to assess RDS estimators in populations simulated with diverse connectivity characteristics, incorporating the putative influence of misreported degrees and transmission processes. Four populations were simulated using different random graph models. Each population was “infected” using four different transmission processes. From each combination of population x transmission, one thousand samples were obtained using a RDS-like sampling strategy. Three estimators were used to predict the population-level prevalence of the “infection”. Several types of misreported degrees were simulated. Also, samples were generated using the standard random sampling method and the respective prevalence estimates, using the classical frequentist estimator. Estimation biases in relation to population parameters were assessed, as well as the variance. Variability was associated with the connectivity characteristics of each simulated population. Clustered populations yield greater variability and no RDS-based strategy could address the estimation biases. Misreporting degrees had modest effects, especially when RDS estimators were used. The best results for RDS-based samples were observed when the “infection” was randomly attributed, without any relation with the underlying network structure.     

Estimating school effectiveness with student growth percentile and gain score models

Measuring school effectiveness using student test scores is controversial and some methods used for this can be inaccurate in some situations. The validity of two statistical models – the Student Growth Percentile (SGP) model and a multilevel gain score model – are evaluated. The SGP model conditions on previous test scores thereby unblocking a backdoor path between true school/teacher effectiveness and student test scores. When the product of the coefficients that make up this unblocked backdoor path is positive, the SGP estimates can be inaccurate. The accuracy of the multilevel gain score model was not associated with the product of this backdoor path. The gain score model appears promising in these situations where the SGP and other covariate adjusted models perform poorly.