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This paper presents a novel approach for analyzing bivariate positive data, taking into account a covariate vector and left-censored observations, by introducing a hierarchical Bayesian analysis. The proposed method assumes marginal Weibull distributions and employs either a usual Weibull likelihood or Weibull–Tobit likelihood approaches. A latent variable or frailty is included in the model to capture the possible correlation between the bivariate responses for the same sampling unit. The posterior summaries of interest are obtained through Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we apply it to a bivariate data set from stellar astronomy that includes left-censored observations and covariates. Our results indicate that the new bivariate model approach, which incorporates the latent factor to capture the potential dependence between the two responses of interest, produces accurate inference results. We also compare the two models using the different likelihood approaches (Weibull or Weibull–Tobit likelihoods) in the application. Overall, our findings suggest that the proposed hierarchical Bayesian analysis is a promising approach for analyzing bivariate positive data with left-censored observations and covariate information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The use of semiparametric or transformation models has been considered by many authors in the analysis of lifetime data in the presence of censoring and covariates as an alternative and generalization of the usual proportional hazards, the proportional odds models, and the accelerated failure time models, extensively used in lifetime data analysis. The inferences for the proportional hazards model introduced by Cox (1972) are usually obtained by maximum likelihood estimation methods assuming the partial likelihood function introduced by Cox (Cox, 1975). In this study, we consider a hierarchical Bayesian analysis of the proportional hazards model assuming the complete likelihood function obtained from a transformation model considering the unknown hazard function as a latent unknown variable under a Bayesian approach. Some applications with real time medical data illustrate the proposed methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the analysis of financial market data, random variations in price movements can share non-trivial statistical properties as observed for the distributions of returns, with possibility of absence of autocorrelations in asset returns, volatility in blocks and presence of asymmetry between rises and falls of stock values. Asset price fluctuations are usually investigated using time series models to obtain inferences about interest rates and future forecasts. In this study we consider the use of existing probability distributions to model run lengths and absolute historical price run returns as an alternative to the use of usual time series models with applications for time series obtained from the NYSE stock exchange for three private banks located in the Brazil in the period from July 19, 2013, to July 19, 2018. We assume discrete Weibull distributions as an alternative to the exponential law commonly used in this type of analysis. Under this modeling approach it is possible to obtain information about the structure of the market such as the probability of the stock market rising and falling daily and the magnitude of the returns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study considers non-mixture models based on the discrete Burr XIII distribution to model recurrent event data in the presence of a cure fraction. In this context, we provide an alternative to the standard Cox proportional hazards model using a discretized distribution to analyze lifetime data assuming a non-mixture structure for cure rates. In a Bayesian setting, the proposed methodology was considered for analyzing a real dataset from a retrospective cohort study that aimed to evaluate specific clinical conditions that affect the lifetimes of 299 heart failure patients admitted to the Institute of Cardiology and Allied Hospital – Faisalabad, Pakistan (April-December, 2015). The model validation process was addressed using the Cox-Snell residuals, which allowed us to identify the suitability of the proposed non-mixture cure rate model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The statistical literature presents many continuous probability distributions with only one parameter, which are extensively used in the analysis of lifetime data, such as the exponential, the Lindley, and the Rayleigh distributions. Alternatively, the use of discretized versions of these distributions can provide a better fit for the data in many applications. As the novelty of this study, we present inferences for the discrete Bilal distribution (DB) with one parameter introduced by Altun et al. (2020) in the presence of right-censored data and cure fraction. We assume standard maximum likelihood methods based on asymptotic normality of the maximum likelihood estimators and also a Bayesian approach based on MCMC (Markov Chain Monte Carlo) simulation methods to get inferences for the parameters of the discrete BD distribution. The use of the proposed model was illustrated with three examples considering real medical lifetime data sets. From these applications, we concluded that the proposed model based on the discrete DB distribution has good performance even with the inclusion of a cure fraction in comparison to other existing discrete models, such as the DsFx-I, Lindley, Rayleigh, and Burr-Hatke probability distributions. Moreover, the model can be easily implemented in standard existing software, such as the R package. Under a Bayesian approach, we assumed a gamma prior distribution for the parameter of the DB discrete distribution. We also provided a brief sensitivity analysis assuming the half-normal distribution in place of the gamma distribution for the parameter of the DB distribution. From the obtained results of this study, we can conclude that the proposed methodology can be very useful for researchers dealing with medical discrete lifetime data in the presence of right-censored data and cure fraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ammonia nitrogen is a compound that in its abundance is related to the inadequate discharge of industrial and domestic effluents. Since high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen can directly affect the water quality or disturb the marine environment, this study examined the ammonia nitrogen concentrations in Columbia River, USA in a fixed period (from January, 2014 to January, 2020) related to some water factors. Some interesting conclusions were obtained in this study as the identification of dissolved oxygen (in mg/L), pH, specific conductivity (in umhos/cm), and temperature (in °C) as potential factors affecting the ammonia nitrogen concentrations in Columbia River which may alert authorities to keep restrictive strategies to control the advance of this kind of water pollution. The results of this study could be extended to other regions of the world, especially in more impoverished countries usually with precarious water pollution control systems with implications for public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the components of extra-Poisson variability are estimated assuming random effect models under a Bayesian approach. A standard existing methodology to estimate extra-Poisson variability assumes a negative binomial distribution. The obtained results show that using the proposed random effect model it is possible to get more accurate estimates for the extra-Poisson variability components when compared to the use of a negative binomial distribution where it is possible to estimate only one component of extra-Poisson variability. Some illustrative examples are introduced considering real data sets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, it is introduced a new parametric distribution to be used in multivariate lifetime data analysis as an alternative for the use of some existing multivariate parametric models as the popular multivariate normal distribution which is the most widely used model assumed in the analysis of continuous multivariate data. Although the normal multivariate distribution has univariate marginal normal probability distributions and simple interpretations for all their parameters, it may not be well fitted by many data sets, especially in survival data applications, usually considering logarithm transformed data. In many cases the use of parametric multivariate discrete models could be more appropriate for the data analysis. In this paper, it is introduced a generalization of the bivariate Basu-Dhar geometric distribution to a trivariate case applied to count data. Some properties of this trivariate geometric distribution, including its marginal probability distributions, order statistics distributions, the probability generating function and some simulation studies are presented. It is also presented some discussion on an extension of the trivariate case for the multivariate case. Classical and Bayesian inferences are presented assuming censored or uncensored observations. To illustrate the proposed methodology, two applications with real lifetime data are considered as examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel approach for analyzing bivariate positive data, taking into account a covariate vector and left-censored observations, by introducing a hierarchical Bayesian analysis. The proposed method assumes marginal Weibull distributions and employs either a usual Weibull likelihood or Weibull-Tobit likelihood approaches. A latent variable or frailty is included in the model to capture the possible correlation between the bivariate responses for the same sampling unit. The posterior summaries of interest are obtained through Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, we apply it to a bivariate data set from stellar astronomy that includes left-censored observations and covariates. Our results indicate that the new bivariate model approach, which incorporates the latent factor to capture the potential dependence between the two responses of interest, produces accurate inference results. We also compare the two models using the different likelihood approaches (Weibull or Weibull-Tobit likelihoods) in the application. Overall, our findings suggest that the proposed hierarchical Bayesian analysis is a promising approach for analyzing bivariate positive data with left-censored observations and covariate information., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s)., (© 2023 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.)

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death in the world, and they are considered a serious public health problem in Colombia. The main goal of this study was to analyze CVD mortality spatially and temporarily in the Pacific region of Colombia during the 2002-2015 period, and its association with some municipal socio-economic indicators using spatial statistical analysis techniques. It involved a descriptive-ecological study in the 177 municipalities of the Pacific region that used CVD mortality data, under codes I00-I99 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), and seven municipal socio-economic indicators. The analysis included the calculation of crude and standardized mortality rates, according to sex, for CVD and its main causes, and modeling of CVD death counts using Bayesian hierarchical models. During the 2002-2015 period, standardized rates of CVD mortality showed a downward trend in men (129.0 to 119.3) and in women (129.0 to 110.0), the main causes of death being ischemic heart diseases, followed by cerebrovascular diseases. In general, the risk of CVD mortality was higher in the less economically and socially privileged municipalities.