Search

Classical continuous goodness-of-fit (GOF) testing is employed for examining whether the data come from an assumed parametric model. In many cases, GOF tests assume a uniform null distribution and examine extreme values of the order statistics of the samples. Many of these statistics can be expressed by a function of the order statistics and the p-values amount to a joint probability statement based on the uniform order statistics. In this paper, we utilize Steck's recursion method and propose two high precision computing algorithms to compute the p-values for these GOF statistics. The numerical difficulties in implementing Steck's method are discussed and compared with solutions provided in high precision libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ranked set sampling (RSS) design as a cost-effective sampling is a powerful tool in situations where measuring the variable of interest is costly and time-consuming; however, ranking information about sampling units can be obtained easily through inexpensive and easy to measure characteristics at little or no cost. In this paper, we study RSS data for analysis of an ordinal population. First, we compare the problem of non-representative extreme samples under RSS and commonly-used simple random sampling. Using RSS data with tie information, we propose non-parametric and maximum likelihood estimators for population parameters. Through extensive numerical studies, we investigate the effect of various factors including ranking ability, tie generating mechanisms, the number of categories and population setting on the performance of the estimators. Finally, we apply the proposed methods to the bone disorder data to estimate the proportions of patients with osteopenia and osteoporosis status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parametric methods for the calculation of reference intervals in clinical studies often rely on the identification of a suitable transformation so that the transformed data can be assumed to be drawn from a Gaussian distribution. In this paper, the two-stage transformation recommended by the International Federation for Clinical Chemistry is compared with a novel generalised Box–Cox family of transformations. Investigation is also made of sample sizes needed to achieve certain criteria of reliability in the calculated reference interval. Simulations are used to show that the generalised Box–Cox family achieves a lower bias than the two-stage transformation. It was found that there is a possibility that the two-stage transformation will result in percentile estimates that cannot be back-transformed to obtain the required reference intervals, a difficulty not observed when using the generalised Box–Cox family introduced in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two-sided asymptotic confidence intervals for an unknown proportion p have been the subject of a great deal of literature. Surprisingly, there are very few papers devoted, like this article, to the case of one tail, despite its great importance in practice and the fact that its behavior is usually different from that of the case with two tails. This paper evaluates 47 methods and concludes that (1) the optimal method is the classic Wilson method with a correction for continuity and (2) a simpler option, almost as good as the first, is the new adjusted Wald method (Wald's classic method applied to the data increased in the values proposed by Borkowf: adding a single imaginary failure or success). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We call a sample design that allows for different patterns, or sets, of data items to be collected from different sample units a Split Questionnaire Design (SQD). SQDs can be thought of as incorporating missing data into survey design. This paper examines the situation where data that are not collected by anSQDcan be treated as Missing Completely At Random or Missing At Random, targets are regression coefficients in a generalised linear model fitted to binary variables, and targets are estimated using Maximum Likelihood. A key finding is that it can be easy to measure the relative contribution of a respondent to the accuracy of estimated model parameters before collecting all the respondent's model covariates. We show empirically and theoretically thatwecould achieve a significant reduction in respondent burden with a negligible impact on the accuracy of estimates by not collecting model covariates from respondents who we identify as contributing little to the accuracy of estimates. We discuss the general implications for SQDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the problem of estimating the population proportion in pair ranked set sampling design. An unbiased estimator for the population proportion is proposed, and its theoretical properties are studied. It is shown that the estimator is more (less) efficient than its counterpart in simple random sampling (ranked set sampling). Asymptotic normality of the estimator is also established. Application of the suggested procedure is illustrated using a data set from an environmental study. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper considers constructing a new confidence interval for the slope parameter in the structural errors-in-variables model with known error variance associated with the regressors. Existing confidence intervals are so severely affected by Gleser–Hwang effect that they are subject to have poor empirical coverage probabilities and unsatisfactory lengths. Moreover, these problems get worse with decreasing reliability ratio which also result in more frequent absence of some existing intervals. To ease these issues, this paper presents a fiducial generalized confidence interval which maintains the correct asymptotic coverage. Simulation results show that this fiducial interval is slightly conservative while often having average length comparable or shorter than the other methods. Finally, we illustrate these confidence intervals with two real data examples, and in the second example some existing intervals do not exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates von Neumann and Morgenstern utility functions using the generalized maximum entropy (GME), applied to data obtained by utility elicitation methods. Given the statistical advantages of this approach, we provide a comparison of the performance of the GME estimator with ordinary least square (OLS) in a real data small sample setup. The results confirm the ones obtained for small samples through Monte Carlo simulations. The difference between the two estimators is small and it decreases as the width of the parameter support vector increases. Moreover, the GME estimator is more precise than the OLS one. Overall, the results suggest that GME is an interesting alternative to OLS in the estimation of utility functions when data are generated by utility elicitation methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle size analyses of a raw material are commonplace in the mineral processing industry. Knowledge of particle size distributions is crucial in planning milling operations to enable an optimum degree of liberation of valuable mineral phases, to minimize plant losses due to an excess of oversize or undersize material or to attain a size distribution that fits a contractual specification. The problem addressed in the present paper is how to test the equality of two or more underlying size distributions. A distinguishing feature of these size distributions is that they are not based on counts of individual particles. Rather, they are mass size distributions giving the fractions of the total mass of a sampled material lying in each of a number of size intervals. As such, the data are compositional in nature, using the terminology of Aitchison [1] that is, multivariate vectors the components of which add to 100%. In the literature, various versions of Hotelling's T 2 have been used to compare matched pairs of such compositional data. In this paper, we propose a robust test procedure based on ranks as a competitor to Hotelling's T 2. In contrast to the latter statistic, the power of the rank test is not unduly affected by the presence of outliers or of zeros among the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the estimation of parameters for the Poisson regression model in the presence of high, but imperfect multicollinearity. To mitigate this problem, we suggest using the Poisson Liu Regression Estimator (PLRE) and propose some new approaches to estimate this shrinkage parameter. The small sample statistical properties of these estimators are systematically scrutinized using Monte Carlo simulations. To evaluate the performance of these estimators, we assess the Mean Square Errors (MSE) and the Mean Absolute Percentage Errors (MAPE). The simulation results clearly illustrate the benefit of the methods of estimating these types of shrinkage parameters in finite samples. Finally, we illustrate the empirical relevance of our newly proposed methods using an empirically relevant application. Thus, in summary, via simulations of empirically relevant parameter values, and by a standard empirical application, it is clearly demonstrated that our technique exhibits more precise estimators, compared to traditional techniques – at least when multicollinearity exist among the regressors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we study empirical distribution function (EDF) estimators based on ranked set sampling (RSS). Ranked set samples are constructed by using three different sampling designs which are level-0, level-1 and level-2. These designs are different in terms of their replacement policies. The sample is constructed by sampling with replacement in level-0 sampling design. In level-1 sampling design, the sample is constructed by sampling with replacement of the unmeasured units in each set. Also, we construct the sample without replacement on the entire set in level-2 sampling design. In simulation study, we compare EDF estimators when using sampling designs with EDF estimator when using simple random sampling (SRS) in finite populations having different distribution functions. The effects of both perfect and imperfect ranking on the estimators of the sampling designs are investigated. Relative efficiencies of the EDF estimators are obtained by using their integrated mean squared errors (IMSEs), numerically. For illustrative purposes, these EDF estimators based on sampling designs are applied to a real data set. By using both the simulation data and real data, we show that these EDF estimators have higher efficiencies against EDF based on SRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The term ‘representation bias’ is used to describe the disparities that exist between treatment effects estimated from field experiments, and those effects that would be seen if treatments were used in the field. In this paper we are specifically concerned with representation bias caused by disease inoculum travelling between plots, or out of the experimental area altogether. The scope for such bias is maximized in the case of airborne spread diseases. This paper extends the work of Deardon et al. (2004), using simulation methods to explore the relationship between design and representation bias. In doing so, we illustrate the importance of plot size and spacing, as well as treatment-to-plot allocation. We examine a novel class of designs, incomplete column designs, to develop an understanding of the mechanisms behind representation bias. We also introduce general methods of designing field trials, which can be used to limit representation bias by carefully controlling treatment to block allocation in both incomplete column and incomplete randomized block designs. Finally, we show how the commonly used practice of sampling from the centres of plots, rather than entire plots, can also help to control representation bias. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we are concerned with pure statistical Shewhart control charts for the scale parameter of the three-parameter Weibull control variable, where, and are the location, the scale and the shape parameters, respectively, with fixed (FSI) and variable (VSI) sampling intervals. The parameters and are assumed to be known. We consider two-sided, and lower and upper one-sided Shewhart control charts and their FSI and VSI versions . They jointly control the mean and the variance of the Weibull control variable X. The pivotal statistic of those control charts is the maximum-likelihood estimator of for the Nth random sample XN=(X1N,X2N,...,XnN) of the Weibull control variable X. The design and performance of these control charts are studied. Two criteria, i.e. 'comparability criterion' (or 'matched criterion') under control and 'primordial criterion', are imposed on their design. The performance of these control charts is measured using the function average time to signal. For the VSI versions, the constant which defines the partition of the 'continuation region' is obtained through the 'comparability criterion' under control. The monotonic behaviour of the function average time to signal in terms of the parameters (magnitude of the shift suff ered by the target value 0), and is studied. We show that the function average time to signal of all the control charts studied in this paper does not depend on the value of the parameter or on 0, and, under control, does not depend on the parameter, when Delta (the probability of a false alarm) and n (sample size) are fixed. All control charts satisfy the 'primordial criterion' and, for fixed, on average, they all (except the two-sided VSI, for which we were not able to ascertain proof) are quicker in detecting the shift as increases. We conjecture - and we are not contradicted by the numerical example considered - that the same is true for the two-sided VSI control chart. We prove that, under the average time to signal criterion, the VSI versions are always preferable to their FSI versions. In the case of one-sided control charts, under the 'comparability criterion', the VSI version is always preferable to the FSI version, and this advantage increases with and the extent of the shift. Our one-sided control charts perform better and have more powerful statistical properties than does our two-sided control chart. The numerical example where n=5,0=1,=0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and Delta=1/370.4 is presented for the two-sided, and the lower and upper one-sided control charts. These numerical results are presented in tables and in figures. The joint influence of the parameters and in the function average time to signal is illustrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider statistical diagnostic for non-parametric regression models with right-censored data based on empirical likelihood. First, the primary model is transformed to the non-parametric regression model. Then, based on empirical likelihood methodology, we define some diagnostic statistics. At last, some simulation studies show that our proposed procedure can work fairly well. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new procedure of shift parameter estimation in the two-sample location problem is investigated and compared with existing estimators. The proposed procedure smooths the empirical distribution functions of each random sample and replaces empirical distribution functions in the two-sample Kolmogorov–Smirnov method. The smoothed Kolmogorov–Smirnov is minimized with respect to an arbitrary shift variable in order to find an estimate of the shift parameter. The proposed procedure can be considered the smoothed version of a very little known method of shift parameter estimation from Rao-Schuster-Littell (RSL) [Raoet al.,Estimation of shift and center of symmetry based on Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistics, Ann. Stat. 3(4) (1975), pp. 862–873]. Their estimator will be discussed and compared with the proposed estimator in this paper. An example and simulation studies have been performed to compare the proposed procedure with existing shift parameter estimators such as Hodges–Lehmann (H–L) and least squares in addition to RSL's estimator. The results show that the proposed estimator has lower mean-squared error as well as higher relative efficiency against RSL's estimator under normal or contaminated normal model assumptions. Moreover, the proposed estimator performs competitively against H–L and least-squares shift estimators. Smoother function and bandwidth selections are also discussed and several alternatives are proposed in the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we consider confidence intervals for the ratio of two population variances. We propose a confidence interval for the ratio of two variances based on thet-statistic by deriving its Edgeworth expansion and considering Hall's and Johnson's transformations. Then, we consider the coverage accuracy of suggested intervals and intervals based on theF-statistic for some distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Count data with structural zeros are common in public health applications. There are considerable researches focusing on zero-inflated models such as zero-inflated Poisson (ZIP) and zero-inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) models for such zero-inflated count data when used as response variable. However, when such variables are used as predictors, the difference between structural and random zeros is often ignored and may result in biased estimates. One remedy is to include an indicator of the structural zero in the model as a predictor if observed. However, structural zeros are often not observed in practice, in which case no statistical method is available to address the bias issue. This paper is aimed to fill this methodological gap by developing parametric methods to model zero-inflated count data when used as predictors based on the maximum likelihood approach. The response variable can be any type of data including continuous, binary, count or even zero-inflated count responses. Simulation studies are performed to assess the numerical performance of this new approach when sample size is small to moderate. A real data example is also used to demonstrate the application of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outlier detection has been used extensively in data analysis to detect anomalous observation in data. It has important applications such as in fraud detection and robust analysis, among others. In this paper, we propose a method in detecting multiple outliers in linear functional relationship model for circular variables. Using the residual values of the Caires and Wyatt model, we applied the hierarchical clustering approach. With the use of a tree diagram, we illustrate the detection of outliers graphically. A Monte Carlo simulation study is done to verify the accuracy of the proposed method. Low probability of masking and swamping effects indicate the validity of the proposed approach. Also, the illustrations to two sets of real data are given to show its practical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we consider the Bayesian analysis of competing risks data, when the data are partially complete in both time and type of failures. It is assumed that the latent cause of failures have independent Weibull distributions with the common shape parameter, but different scale parameters. When the shape parameter is known, it is assumed that the scale parameters have Beta–Gamma priors. In this case, the Bayes estimates and the associated credible intervals can be obtained in explicit forms. When the shape parameter is also unknown, it is assumed that it has a very flexible log-concave prior density functions. When the common shape parameter is unknown, the Bayes estimates of the unknown parameters and the associated credible intervals cannot be obtained in explicit forms. We propose to use Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling technique to compute Bayes estimates and also to compute associated credible intervals. We further consider the case when the covariates are also present. The analysis of two competing risks data sets, one with covariates and the other without covariates, have been performed for illustrative purposes. It is observed that the proposed model is very flexible, and the method is very easy to implement in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a proposal for the extension of the dual multiple factor analysis (DMFA) method developed by Lê and Pagès 15 to the analysis of categorical tables in which the same set of variables is measured on different sets of individuals. The extension of DMFA is based on the transformation of categorical variables into properly weighted indicator variables, in a way analogous to that used in the multiple factor analysis of categorical variables. The DMFA of categorical variables enables visual comparison of the association structures between categories over the sample as a whole and in the various subsamples (sets of individuals). For each category, DMFA allows us to obtain its global (considering all the individuals) and partial (considering each set of individuals) coordinates in a factor space. This visual analysis allows us to compare the set of individuals to identify their similarities and differences. The suitability of the technique is illustrated through two applications: one using simulated data for two groups of individuals with very different association structures and the other using real data from a voting intention survey in which some respondents were interviewed by telephone and others face to face. The results indicate that the two data collection methods, while similar, are not entirely equivalent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes a statistical method for estimating data envelopment analysis (DEA) score confidence intervals for individual organizations or other entities. This method applies statistical panel data analysis, which provides proven and powerful methodologies for diagnostic testing and for estimation of confidence intervals. DEA scores are tested for violations of the standard statistical assumptions including contemporaneous correlation, serial correlation, heteroskedasticity and the absence of a normal distribution. Generalized least squares statistical models are used to adjust for violations that are present and to estimate valid confidence intervals within which the true efficiency of each individual decision-making unit occurs. This method is illustrated with two sets of panel data, one from large US urban transit systems and the other from a group of US hospital pharmacies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to computational challenges and non-availability of conjugate prior distributions, Bayesian variable selection in quantile regression models is often a difficult task. In this paper, we address these two issues for quantile regression models. In particular, we develop an informative stochastic search variable selection (ISSVS) for quantile regression models that introduces an informative prior distribution. We adopt prior structures which incorporate historical data into the current data by quantifying them with a suitable prior distribution on the model parameters. This allows ISSVS to search more efficiently in the model space and choose the more likely models. In addition, a Gibbs sampler is derived to facilitate the computation of the posterior probabilities. A major advantage of ISSVS is that it avoids instability in the posterior estimates for the Gibbs sampler as well as convergence problems that may arise from choosing vague priors. Finally, the proposed methods are illustrated with both simulation and real data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent studies have shown that using variable sampling size and control limits (VSSC) schemes result in charts with more statistical power than variable sampling size (VSS) when detecting small to moderate shifts in the process mean vector. This paper presents an economic-statistical design (ESD) of the VSSC T2 control chart using the general model of Lorenzen and Vance [22]. The genetic algorithm approach is then employed to search for the optimal values of the six test parameters of the chart. We then compare the expected cost per unit of time of the optimally designed VSSC chart with optimally designed VSS and FRS (fixed ratio sampling) T2 charts as well as MEWMA charts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parameter estimation is the first step in constructing control charts. One of these parameters is the process mean. The classical estimators of the process mean are sensitive to the presence of outlying data and subgroups which contaminate the whole data. In existing robust estimators for the process mean, the effects of the presence of the individual outliers are being considered, while, in this paper, a robust estimator is being proposed to reduce the effect of outlying subgroups as well as the individual outliers within a subgroup. The proposed estimator was compared with some classical and robust estimators of the process mean. Although, its relative efficiency is fourth among the estimators tested, its robustness and efficiency are large when the outlying subgroups are present. Evaluation of the results indicated that the proposed estimator is less sensitive to the presence of outliers and the process mean performs well when there are no individual outliers or outlying subgroups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we propose a series of goodness-of-fit tests for the family of skew-normal models when all parameters are unknown. As the null distributions of the considered test statistics depend only on asymmetry parameter, we used a default and proper prior on skewness parameter leading to the prior predictive p-value advocated by G. Box. Goodness-of-fit tests, here proposed, depend only on sample size and exhibit full agreement between nominal and actual size. They also have good power against local alternative models which also account for asymmetry in the data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical Process Control (SPC) is a scientific approach to quality improvement in which data are collected and used as evidence of the performance of a process, organisation or set of equipment. One of the SPC techniques, the cumulative sum (CUSUM) method, first developed by E.S. Page (1961), uses a series of cumulative sums of sample data for online process control. This paper reviews CUSUM techniques applied to financial markets in several different ways. The performance of the CUSUM method in predicting regime shifts in stock market indices is then studied in detail. Research in this field so far does not take the transaction fees of buying and selling into consideration. As the study in this paper shows, the performances of the CUSUM when taking account of transaction fees are quite different to those not taking transaction fees into account. The CUSUM plan is defined by parameters h and k. Choosing the parameters of the method should be based on studies that take transaction fees into account. The performances of the CUSUM in different stock markets are also compared in this paper. The results show that the same CUSUM plan has remarkably different performances in different stock markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a model has been developed for the x-chart showing the shifts in the process mean and R-chart showing those in the process variability. The model involves such parameters as the sample size, n, the sampling frequency, h, and the range of the control limits, k1 and k2 minimizing the cost function. This is adequate to reach the economic objectives. However, this paper is aimed at meeting the statistical objectives. The statistical objectives include minimizing the Type I error and the enhancing the testing power. Hence, the economic model has been handled as a multi-objective optimization problem involving the statistical objectives. Nonetheless, due to the fact that it is difficult, using classical methods, to solve such economic models that have the nature of a complex function, Genetic Algorithms (GAs) were used. The results are summarized in tables after they have been compared with those in the published literature. It is understood that the results obtained by GA are better than those in the literature and that they are more likely to reach the statistical objectives [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are concerned in this article with the estimation of the degree of dependence between the observations of the monthly temperatures in the northern hemisphere from 1854 to 1989 by means of using fractionally integrated semi-parametric techniques. We use several estimation procedures proposed by P. M. Robinson in a number of papers, and the results indicate that the order of integration of the series is around 0.37, implying that the time series is stationary but with long memory behaviour. Separating the data in two subsamples (1854-1921 and 1922-89), the results show that there has been an increase in the degree of dependence across time by about 0.05-0.10, the order of integration oscillating around 0.3 (0.35) for the time period 1854-1921, and around 0.35 (0.40) for the period 1922-89. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we discuss the sample size needed to perform Wald's sequential statistical test for the proportion of non-conforming items generated by a process when the results of the inspections are correlated and the generalized binomial distribution proposed by Madsen (1993) is used. It will be shown that, in the presence of correlation, the sample size increases as the value of the coefficient of correlation increases--being much higher for processes with small failure rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the classical approach to qualitative reliability demonstration, system failure probabilities are estimated based on a binomial sample drawn from the running production. In this paper, we show how to take account of additional available sampling information for some or even all subsystems of a current system under test with serial reliability structure. In that connection, we present two approaches, a frequentist and a Bayesian one, for assessing an upper bound for the failure probability of serial systems under binomial subsystem data. In the frequentist approach, we introduce (i) a new way of deriving the probability distribution for the number of system failures, which might be randomly assembled from the failed subsystems and (ii) a more accurate estimator for the Clopper–Pearson upper bound using a beta mixture distribution. In the Bayesian approach, however, we infer the posterior distribution for the system failure probability on the basis of the system/subsystem testing results and a prior distribution for the subsystem failure probabilities. We propose three different prior distributions and compare their performances in the context of high reliability testing. Finally, we apply the proposed methods to reduce the efforts of semiconductor burn-in studies by considering synergies such as comparable chip layers, among different chip technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the statistical analysis of masked data in a series system with Burr-XII distributed components. Based on progressively Type-I interval censored sample, the maximum likelihood estimators for the parameters are obtained by using the expectation maximization algorithm, and the associated approximate confidence intervals are also derived. In addition, Gibbs sampling procedure using important sampling is applied for obtaining the Bayesian estimates of the parameters, and Monte Carlo method is employed to construct the credible intervals. Finally, a simulation study is proposed to illustrate the efficiency of the methods under different removal schemes and masking probabilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the problem of designing a new variable sampling plan. Suppose that the lot quality characteristic obeys an exponential distribution. Adopting Taguchi's loss function, the objective is to design a plan under which the producer's risk of rejecting a lot that has a specified average loss per item is no greater than alpha, and the consumer's risk of accepting a lot that has a specified average loss per item is no greater than beta. The method of designing this plan is an extension of the method used by Derman and Ross. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we have proposed a class of estimators of finite population variance using known values of parameters related to an auxiliary variable such as quartiles and its properties are studied in simple random sampling. The suggested class of ratio-type estimators has been compared with the usual unbiased, ratio estimators and the class of ratio-type estimators due to Singhet al.[Improved estimation of finite population variance using quartiles, Istatistik – J. Turkish Stat. Assoc. 6(3) (2013), pp. 166–121] and Solankiet al.[Improved ratio-type estimators of finite population variance using quartiles, Hacettepe J. Math. Stat. 44(3) (2015), pp. 747–754]. An empirical study is also carried out to judge the merits of the proposed estimator over other existing estimators of population variance using natural data set. It is found that the proposed class of ratio-type estimators ‘’ is superior to the usual unbiased estimatorand the estimators recently proposed by Singhet al.[Improved estimation of finite population variance using quartiles, Istatistik – J. Turkish Stat. Assoc. 6(3) (2013), pp. 166–121] and Solankiet al.[Improved ratio-type estimators of finite population variance using quartiles, Hacettepe J. Math. Stat. 44(3) (2015), pp. 747–754]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Control charts are statistical tools to monitor a process or a product. However, some processes cannot be controlled by monitoring a characteristic; instead, they need to be monitored using profiles. Economic-statistical design of profile monitoring means determining the parameters of a profile monitoring scheme such that total costs are minimized while statistical measures maintain proper values. While varying sampling interval usually increases the effectiveness of profile monitoring, economic-statistical design of variable sampling interval (VSI) profile monitoring is investigated in this paper. An extended Lorenzen–Vance function is used for modeling total costs in VSI model where the average time to signal is employed for depicting the statistical measure of the obtained profile monitoring scheme. Two sampling intervals; number of set points and the parameters of control charts that are used in profile monitoring are the variables that are obtained thorough the economic-statistical model. A genetic algorithm is employed to optimize the model and an experimental design approach is used for tuning its parameters. Sensitivity analysis and numerical results indicate satisfactory performance for the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cut-off sampling has been widely used for business survey which has the right-skewed population with a long tail. Several methods are suggested to obtain the optimal cut-off point. The LH algorithm suggested by Lavallee and Hidiroglou [6] is commonly used to get the optimum boundaries by minimizing the total sample size with a given precision. In this paper, we suggest a new cut-off point determination method which minimizes a cost function. And that leads to reducing the size of take-all stratum. Also we investigate an optimal cut-off point using a typical parametric estimation method under the assumptions of underlying distributions. Small Monte-Carlo simulation studies are performed in order to compare the new cut-off point method to the LH algorithm. The Korea Transportation Origin – Destination data are used for real data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In most economic and business surveys, the target variables (e.g. turnover of enterprises, income of households, etc.) commonly resemble skewed distributions with many small and few large units. In such surveys, if a stratified sampling technique is used as a method of sampling and estimation, the convenient way of stratification such as the use of demographical variables (e.g. gender, socioeconomic class, geographical region, religion, ethnicity, etc.) or other natural criteria, which is widely practiced in economic surveys, may fail to form homogeneous strata and is not much useful in order to increase the precision of the estimates of variables of interest. In this paper, a stratified sampling design for economic surveys based on auxiliary information has been developed, which can be used for constructing optimum stratification and determining optimum sample allocation to maximize the precision in estimate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a bootstrap test based on the least absolute deviation (LAD) estimation for the unit root test in first-order autoregressive models with dependent residuals is considered. The convergence in probability of the bootstrap distribution function is established. Under the frame of dependence assumptions, the asymptotic behavior of the bootstrap LAD estimator is independent of the covariance matrix of the residuals, which automatically approximates the target distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In stratified sampling when strata weights are unknown a double sampling technique may be used to estimate them. A large simple random sample from the unstratified population is drawn and units falling in each stratum are recorded. A stratified random sample is then selected and simple random subsamples are obtained out of the previously selected units of the strata. This procedure is called double sampling for stratification. If the problem of non-response is there, then subsamples are divided into classes of respondents and non-respondents. A second subsample is then obtained out of the non-respondents and an attempt is made to obtain the information by increasing efforts, persuasion and call backs. In this paper, the problem of obtaining a compromise allocation in multivariate stratified random sampling is discussed when strata weights are unknown and non-response is present. The problem turns out to be a multiobjective non-linear integer programming problem. An approximation of the problem to an integer linear programming problem by linearizing the non-linear objective functions at their individual optima is worked out. Chebyshev's goal programming technique is then used to solve the approximated problem. A numerical example is also presented to exhibit the practical application of the developed procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A generalized version of inverted exponential distribution (IED) is considered in this paper. This lifetime distribution is capable of modeling various shapes of failure rates, and hence various shapes of aging criteria. The model can be considered as another useful two-parameter generalization of the IED. Maximum likelihood and Bayes estimates for two parameters of the generalized inverted exponential distribution (GIED) are obtained on the basis of a progressively type-II censored sample. We also showed the existence, uniqueness and finiteness of the maximum likelihood estimates of the parameters of GIED based on progressively type-II censored data. Bayesian estimates are obtained using squared error loss function. These Bayesian estimates are evaluated by applying the Lindley's approximation method and via importance sampling technique. The importance sampling technique is used to compute the Bayes estimates and the associated credible intervals. We further consider the Bayes prediction problem based on the observed samples, and provide the appropriate predictive intervals. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to compare the performances of the proposed methods and a data set has been analyzed for illustrative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, we consider estimation of unknown parameters of an inverted exponentiated Rayleigh distribution under type II progressive censored samples. Estimation of reliability and hazard functions is also considered. Maximum likelihood estimators are obtained using the Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm. Further, we obtain expected Fisher information matrix using the missing value principle. Bayes estimators are derived under squared error and linex loss functions. We have used Lindley, and Tiernery and Kadane methods to compute these estimates. In addition, Bayes estimators are computed using importance sampling scheme as well. Samples generated from this scheme are further utilized for constructing highest posterior density intervals for unknown parameters. For comparison purposes asymptotic intervals are also obtained. A numerical comparison is made between proposed estimators using simulations and observations are given. A real-life data set is analyzed for illustrative purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the problem of statistical hypothesis testing under weighted sampling is considered for obtaining the most powerful test. Some simulated powers of tests, using the Monte Carlo method, are performed. Using a convenient sample of the specialist physicians of Social Security Organization of Ahvaz in Iran, two weighted samplings versus random sampling are tested. Among the three mentioned sampling, the size-biased sampling order 0.2 is more appropriate for the mechanism of data collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the scheme of the inspection plan, namely the tightened normal tightened (nT,nN;k) is considered and procedures and necessary tables are developed for the selection of the variables sampling scheme, indexed through crossover point (COP). The importance of COP, the properties and advantages of the operating characteristic curve with respect to COP are studied. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

On-line monitoring of quality characteristics is essential to limit scrap and rework costs due to bad quality in a manufacturing process. In several manufacturing environments, during production process data can be massively collected with high sampling rates and tight sampling frequencies. As a consequence, natural autocorrelation may arise among consecutive measureswithina sample. Autocorrelation significantly inflates the average run length of a control chart and deteriorates its sensitivity to the occurrence of assignable causes. In this paper, we propose a newmixedsampling strategy for the Shewhartchart monitoring the sample mean in a process where temporal autocorrelation between two consecutive observations can be represented by means of a first order autoregressive model AR(1). With this strategy, the sample mean at each inspection time is computed by merging measures of a generic quality characteristic from two consecutive samples takenhhours apart. The statistical properties of a Shewhartcontrol chart implementing the proposed strategy are compared to those implementing askippingstrategy recently proposed in literature. A numerical analysis shows that themixedsampling outperforms theskippingsampling strategy for high levels of autocorrelation. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Generalized linear models (GLMs) are widely studied to deal with complex response variables. For the analysis of categorical dependent variables with more than two response categories, multivariate GLMs are presented to build the relationship between this polytomous response and a set of regressors. Traditional variable selection approaches have been proposed for the multivariate GLM with a canonical link function when the number of parameters is fixed in the literature. However, in many model selection problems, the number of parameters may be large and grow with the sample size. In this paper, we present a new selection criterion to the model with a diverging number of parameters. Under suitable conditions, the criterion is shown to be model selection consistent. A simulation study and a real data analysis are conducted to support theoretical findings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In this paper, changepoint analysis is applied to stochastic volatility (SV) models which aim to understand the locations and movements of high frequency FX financial time series. Bayesian inference using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method is performed using a process calledvariable dimensionfor SV parameters. Interesting results are that FX series have locations where one or more positions of the sequence correspond to systemic changes, and overall non-stationarity, in the returns process. Furthermore, we found that the changepoint locations provide an informative estimate for all FX series. Importantly in most cases, the detected changepoints can be identified with economic factors relevant to the country concerned. This helps support the fact that macroeconomics news and the movement in financial price are positively related. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poisson sampling is a method for unequal probabilities sampling with random sample size. There exist several implementations of the Poisson sampling design, with fixed sample size, which almost all are rejective methods, that is, the sample is not always accepted. Thus, the existing methods can be time-consuming or even infeasible in some situations. In this paper, a fast and non-rejective method, which is efficient even for large populations, is proposed and studied. The method is a new design for selecting a sample of fixed size with unequal inclusion probabilities. For the population of large size, the proposed design is very close to the strict πps sampling which is similar to the conditional Poisson (CP) sampling design, but the implementation of the design is much more efficient than the CP sampling. And the inclusion probabilities can be calculated recursively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical methods for an asymmetric normal classification do not adapt well to the situations where the population distributions are perturbed by an interval-screening scheme. This paper explores methods for providing an optimal classification of future samples in this situation. The properties of the screened population distributions are considered and two optimal regions for classifying the future samples are obtained. These developments yield yet other rules for the interval-screened asymmetric normal classification. The rules are studied from several aspects such as the probability of misclassification, robustness, and estimation of the rules. The investigation of the performance of the rules as well as the illustration of the screened classification idea, using two numerical examples, is also considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers two general ways dependent groups might be compared based on quantiles. The first compares the quantiles of the marginal distributions. The second focuses on the lower and upper quantiles of the usual difference scores. Methods for comparing quantiles have been derived that typically assume that sampling is from a continuous distribution. There are exceptions, but generally, when sampling from a discrete distribution where tied values are likely, extant methods can perform poorly, even with a large sample size. One reason is that extant methods for estimating the standard error can perform poorly. Another is that quantile estimators based on a single-order statistic, or a weighted average of two-order statistics, are not necessarily asymptotically normal. Our main result is that when using the Harrell–Davis estimator, good control over the Type I error probability can be achieved in simulations via a standard percentile bootstrap method, even when there are tied values, provided the sample sizes are not too small. In addition, the two methods considered here can have substantially higher power than alternative procedures. Using real data, we illustrate how quantile comparisons can be used to gain a deeper understanding of how groups differ. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a test statistic for testing upper outliers with a slippage alternative, in an exponential sample is proposed. No tables for critical values are required as they can be calculated easily for any sample size. A simulation study is also carried out to compare the performance of the test with the maximum likelihood ratio test and other existing tests. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper considered several confidence intervals for estimating the population signal-to-noise ratio based on parametric, non-parametric and modified methods. A simulation study has been conducted to compare the performance of the interval estimators under both symmetric and skewed distributions. We reported coverage probability and average width of the interval estimators. Based on the simulation study, we observed that some of our proposed interval estimators are performing better in the sense of smaller width and coverage probability and have been recommended for the researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]