Bayesian locally optimal design of knockout tournaments

The elimination or knockout format is one of the most common designs for pairing competitors in tournaments and leagues. In each round of a knockout tournament, the losers are eliminated while the winners advance to the next round. Typically, the goal of such a design is to identify the overall best player. Using a common probability model for expressing relative player strengths, we develop an adaptive approach to pairing players each round in which the probability that the best player advances to the next round is maximized. We evaluate our method using simulated game outcomes under several data-generating mechanisms, and compare it to random pairings, to the standard knockout format, and to two variants of the standard format.     

A Sparse Implementation of the Average Information Algorithm for Factor Analytic and Reduced Rank Variance Models

Factor analytic variance models have been widely considered for the analysis of multivariate data particularly in the psychometrics area. Recently Smith, Cullis & Thompson (2001) have considered their use in the analysis of multi‐environment data arising from plant improvement programs. For these data, the size of the problem and the complexity of the variance models chosen to account for spatial heterogeneity within trials implies that standard algorithms for fitting factor analytic models can be computationally expensive. This paper presents a sparse implementation of the average information algorithm (Gilmour, Thompson & Cullis, 1995) for fitting factor analytic and reduced rank variance models.     

我国宪法与国际人权公约有关人权限制性规定之比较

有关人权限制的问题，我国宪法不论是文本还是理念，都与国际人权公约存在差异，因而产生两者之间的冲突和协调问题。我国宪法限权条款有待明确化、具体化，违宪审查制度有待建立。     

Internet环境下的网络教学

Internet环境下的网络教学已成为人类进行终身教育和创新教育的最佳平台。文章着重论述了Internet环境下的多模式教学———讲授模式、个别辅导模式、讨论学习模式、探索学习模式、协作学习模式     

农村剩余劳动力档案管理信息系统初探

实现农村劳动力的有效转移 ,需要宏观政策的引导 ,更需要微观措施的落实。本文提出建立档案式管理的诚信打工用工管理服务机制 ,既是微观管理措施的设计 ,也是宏观方针策略的探讨 ,寻求宏观政策与微观措施的有机结合 ,充分发挥宏观与微观的整合功能 ,促进农村剩余劳动力的有效转移     

Almost Consistent Estimation of Panel Probit Models with “Small” Fixed Effects

We propose four different GMM estimators that allow almost consistent estimation of the structural parameters of panel probit models with fixed effects for the case of small Tand large N. The moments used are derived for each period from a first order approximation of the mean of the dependent variable conditional on explanatory variables and on the fixed effect. The estimators differ w.r.t. the choice of instruments and whether they use trimming to reduce the bias or not. In a Monte Carlo study, we compare these estimators with pooled probit and conditional logit estimators for different data generating processes. The results show that the proposed estimators outperform these competitors in several situations.     

Some results on optimality in models with heteroscedastic errors from partial optimum designs

This paper studies optimum designs for linear models when the errors are heteroscedastic. Sufficient conditions are given in order to obtainD-, A- andE-optimum designs for a complete regression model from partial optimum designs for some sub-parameters. A result about optimality for a complete model from the optimality for the submodels is included. Supported by Junta de Andalucía, research group FQM244.     

Block external bootstrap in partially linear models with nonstationary strong mixing error terms

The authors extend the block external bootstrap to partially linear regression models with strongly mixing, nonstationary error terms. In addition to providing an approximate distribution for the semiparametric least square estimator of the parametric component, they propose a consistent estimator of the co‐variance matrix of this estimator.     

A Non-parametric Frailty Model for Temporally Clustered Multivariate Failure Times

Abstract A model is introduced here for multivariate failure time data arising from heterogenous populations. In particular, we consider a situation in which the failure times of individual subjects are often temporally clustered, so that many failures occur during a relatively short age interval. The clustering is modelled by assuming that the subjects can be divided into ‘internally homogenous’ latent classes, each such class being then described by a time‐dependent frailty profile function. As an example, we reanalysed the dental caries data presented earlier in Härkänen et al. [Scand. J. Statist. 27 (2000) 577], as it turned out that our earlier model could not adequately describe the observed clustering.     

B股与H股及红筹股之间的溢出效应与信息流动

运用向量GARCH-M模型检验了B股与H股及红筹股之间的溢出效应与信息流动.实证结果表明:红筹股对沪深市B股、H股对沪市B股的收益和波动溢出效应均显著存在,而反向的溢出效应均不显著,表明信息是从红筹股向沪深市B股、从H股向沪市B股单向流动的;深市B股与H股之间相互的收益溢出效应均存在,而波动溢出效应均不存在,信息在H股和深市B股之间的流动情况不明显;在信息流动过程中,红筹股始终处于信息领先地位.