Optimal estimators for the importance sampling method

The Monte Carlo method gives some estimators to evaluate the expectation [ILM0001] based on samples from either the true density f or from some instrumental density. In this paper, we show that the Riemann estimators introduced by Philippe (1997) can be improved by using the importance sampling method. This approach produces a class of Monte Carlo estimators such that the variance is of order O(n ^?2). The choice of an optimal estimator among this class is discussed. Some simulations illustrate the improvement brought by this method. Moreover, we give a criterion to assess the convergence of our optimal estimator to the integral of interest.     

Simulation of truncated normal variables

We provide simulation algorithms for one-sided and two-sided truncated normal distributions. These algorithms are then used to simulate multivariate normal variables with convex restricted parameter space for any covariance structure.