Bayes Confidence Research Articles

Robust Empirical Bayes Confidence Intervals

We construct robust empirical Bayes confidence intervals (EBCIs) in a normal means problem. The intervals are centered at the usual linear empirical Bayes estimator, but use a critical value accounting for shrinkage. Parametric EBCIs that assume a normal distribution for the means (Morris (1983b)) may substantially undercover when this assumption is violated. In contrast, our EBCIs control coverage regardless of the means distribution, while remaining close in length to the parametric EBCIs when the means are indeed Gaussian. If the means are treated as fixed, our EBCIs have an average coverage guarantee: the coverage probability is at least 1 − α on average across the n EBCIs for each of the means. Our empirical application considers the effects of U.S. neighborhoods on intergenerational mobility.

Corrected empirical Bayes confidence region in a multivariate Fay–Herriot model

In the small area estimation, the empirical best linear unbiased predictor (EBLUP) in the linear mixed model is useful because it gives a stable estimate for a mean of a small area. For measuring uncertainty of EBLUP, much of research is focused on second-order unbiased estimation of mean squared prediction errors in the univariate case. In this paper, we consider the multivariate Fay–Herriot model where the covariance matrix of random effects is fully unknown, and obtain a confidence region of the small area mean that is based on the Mahalanobis distance centered around EBLUP and has second-order correction. A positive-definite, consistent and second-order unbiased estimator of the covariance matrix of the random effects is also suggested. The performance is investigated through simulation study.

Bayesian inference for Pareto distribution with prior conjugate and prior non conjugate

The purpose of this study is to determine the best estimator for estimating the shape parameters of the Pareto distribution with the known scale parameter. Estimation of these parameters is done by using the Gamma distribution as the prior distribution of the conjugate and the Uniform distribution as the non-conjugate prior distribution. A comparison of the two prior distributions is done through simulation studies with various sample sizes. The best estimator net is a method that produces the smallest posterior variance, absolute bias, and Bayes confidence interval. This study proves that the Bayes estimator by using the prior conjugate distribution produces all indicators of the goodness of the model with a smaller value than the non-conjugate prior distribution. Thus it can be concluded that the estimator with prior conjugate will produce a better predictive value than prior non-conjugate.

A Quantitative Validation Method of Kriging Metamodel for Injection Mechanism Based on Bayesian Statistical Inference

A Bayesian framework-based approach is proposed for the quantitative validation and calibration of the kriging metamodel established by simulation and experimental training samples of the injection mechanism in squeeze casting. The temperature data uncertainty and non-normal distribution are considered in the approach. The normality of the sample data is tested by the Anderson–Darling method. The test results show that the original difference data require transformation for Bayesian testing due to the non-normal distribution. The Box–Cox method is employed for the non-normal transformation. The hypothesis test results of the calibrated kriging model are more reliable after data transformation. The reliability of the kriging metamodel is quantitatively assessed by the calculated Bayes factor and confidence. The Bayesian factor and the confidence level results indicate that the kriging model demonstrates improved accuracy and is acceptable after data transformation. The influence of the threshold ε on both the non-normally and normally distributed data in the model is quantitatively evaluated. The threshold ε has a greater influence and higher sensitivity when applied to the normal data results, based on the rapid increase within a small range of the Bayes factors and confidence levels.

Adaptively transformed mixed‐model prediction of general finite‐population parameters

AbstractFor estimating area‐specific parameters (quantities) in a finite population, a mixed‐model prediction approach is attractive. However, this approach strongly depends on the normality assumption of the response values, although we often encounter a non‐normal case in practice. In such a case, transforming observations to make them suitable for normality assumption is a useful tool, but the problem of selecting a suitable transformation still remains open. To overcome the difficulty, we here propose a new empirical best predicting method by using a parametric family of transformations to estimate a suitable transformation based on the data. We suggest a simple estimating method for transformation parameters based on the profile likelihood function, which achieves consistency under some conditions on transformation functions. For measuring the variability of point prediction, we construct an empirical Bayes confidence interval of the population parameter of interest. Through simulation studies, we investigate the numerical performance of the proposed methods. Finally, we apply the proposed method to synthetic income data in Spanish provinces in which the resulting estimates indicate that the commonly used log transformation would not be appropriate.

Bias corrected empirical Bayes confidence intervals for the selected mean

ABSTRACTEmpirical Bayes (EB) methods are very useful for post selection inference. Following Datta et al. (2002), we construct EB confidence intervals for the selected population mean. The EB intervals are adjusted to achieve the target coverage probabilities asymptotically up to the second order. Both unconditional coverage probabilities of EB intervals and corresponding probabilities conditional on ancillary statistics are found.

Invariant Empirical Bayes Confidence Interval for Mean Vector of Normal Distribution and its Generalization for Exponential Family

Invariant Empirical Bayes Confidence Interval for Mean Vector of Normal Distribution and its Generalization for Exponential Family

A second-order efficient empirical Bayes confidence interval

We introduce a new adjusted residual maximum likelihood method (REML) in the context of producing an empirical Bayes (EB) confidence interval for a normal mean, a problem of great interest in different small area applications. Like other rival empirical Bayes confidence intervals such as the well-known parametric bootstrap empirical Bayes method, the proposed interval is second-order correct, that is, the proposed interval has a coverage error of order $O(m^{-{3}/{2}})$. Moreover, the proposed interval is carefully constructed so that it always produces an interval shorter than the corresponding direct confidence interval, a property not analytically proved for other competing methods that have the same coverage error of order $O(m^{-{3}/{2}})$. The proposed method is not simulation-based and requires only a fraction of computing time needed for the corresponding parametric bootstrap empirical Bayes confidence interval. A Monte Carlo simulation study demonstrates the superiority of the proposed method over other competing methods.

Empirical Bayes Confidence Intervals for Selected Parameters in High-Dimensional Data

Modern statistical problems often involve a large number of populations and hence a large number of parameters that characterize these populations. It is common for scientists to use data to select the most significant populations, such as those with the largest t statistics. The scientific interest often lies in studying and making inferences regarding these parameters, called the selected parameters, corresponding to the selected populations. The current statistical practices either apply a traditional procedure assuming there were no selection—a practice that is not valid—or they use the Bonferroni-type procedure that is valid but very conservative and often noninformative. In this article, we propose valid and sharp confidence intervals that allow scientists to select parameters and to make inferences for the selected parameters based on the same data. This type of confidence interval allows the users to zero in on the most interesting selected parameters without collecting more data. The validity of confidence intervals is defined as the controlling of Bayes coverage probability so that it is no less than a nominal level uniformly over a class of prior distributions for the parameter. When a mixed model is assumed and the random effects are the key parameters, this validity criterion is exactly the frequentist criterion, since the Bayes coverage probability is identical to the frequentist coverage probability. Assuming that the observations are normally distributed with unequal and unknown variances, we select parameters with the largest t statistics. We then construct sharp empirical Bayes confidence intervals for these selected parameters, which have either a large Bayes coverage probability or a small Bayes false coverage rate uniformly for a class of priors. Our intervals, applicable to any high-dimensional data, are applied to microarray data and are shown to be better than all the alternatives. It is also anticipated that the same intervals would be valid for any selection rule. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.

Bayes Inference for Drilling Mud Pump Piston Life

Bayes confidence limit for domestic drilling mud pump piston life was given. Maximum likelihood estimation of mud pump piston life was discussed under Weibull life distribution. For further, failure mechanism of the same batch mud pump piston was studied, the shape parameter of Weibull distribution was considered to be constant. Bayes point estimation and confidence limit of distribution parameters and mud pump piston life were given, according to field life data collected from Daqing oil field, under non-information priori and conjugate prior information for scale parameter. Example shows the effectiveness of the proposed method.

A Bayesian Analysis of Spectral ARMA Model

Bezerra et al. (2008) proposed a new method, based on Yule‐Walker equations, to estimate the ARMA spectral model. In this paper, a Bayesian approach is developed for this model by using the noninformative prior proposed by Jeffreys (1967). The Bayesian computations, simulation via Markov Monte Carlo (MCMC) is carried out and characteristics of marginal posterior distributions such as Bayes estimator and confidence interval for the parameters of the ARMA model are derived. Both methods are also compared with the traditional least squares and maximum likelihood approaches and a numerical illustration with two examples of the ARMA model is presented to evaluate the performance of the procedures.

Confidence Intervals for Difference Between Two Poisson Rates

In this article, we develop four explicit asymptotic two-sided confidence intervals for the difference between two Poisson rates via a hybrid method. The basic idea of the proposed method is to estimate or recover the variances of the two Poisson rate estimates, which are required for constructing the confidence interval for the rate difference, from the confidence limits for the two individual Poisson rates. The basic building blocks of the approach are reliable confidence limits for the two individual Poisson rates. Four confidence interval estimators that have explicit solutions and good coverage levels are employed: the first normal with continuity correction, Rao score, Freeman and Tukey, and Jeffreys confidence intervals. Using simulation studies, we examine the performance of the four hybrid confidence intervals and compare them with three existing confidence intervals: the non-informative prior Bayes confidence interval, the t confidence interval based on Satterthwait's degrees of freedom, and the Bayes confidence interval based on Student's t confidence coefficient. Simulation results show that the proposed hybrid Freeman and Tukey, and the hybrid Jeffreys confidence intervals can be highly recommended because they outperform the others in terms of coverage probabilities and widths. The other methods tend to be too conservative and produce wider confidence intervals. The application of these confidence intervals are illustrated with three real data sets.

Corrected empirical Bayes confidence intervals in nested error regression models

In the small area estimation, the empirical best linear unbiased predictor (EBLUP) or the empirical Bayes estimator (EB) in the linear mixed model is recognized to be useful because it gives a stable and reliable estimate for a mean of a small area. In practical situations where EBLUP is applied to real data, it is important to evaluate how much EBLUP is reliable. One method for the purpose is to construct a confidence interval based on EBLUP. In this paper, we obtain an asymptotically corrected empirical Bayes confidence interval in a nested error regression model with unbalanced sample sizes and unknown components of variance. The coverage probability is shown to satisfy the confidence level in the second-order asymptotics. It is numerically revealed that the corrected confidence interval is superior to the conventional confidence interval based on the sample mean in terms of the coverage probability and the expected width of the interval. Finally, it is applied to the posted land price data in Tokyo and the neighboring prefecture.

Empirical Bayes Confidence Intervals Shrinking Both Means and Variances

SummaryWe construct empirical Bayes intervals for a large number p of means. The existing intervals in the literature assume that variances σi2 are either equal or unequal but known. When the variances are unequal and unknown, the suggestion is typically to replace them by unbiased estimators Si2. However, when p is large, there would be advantage in ‘borrowing strength’ from each other. We derive double-shrinkage intervals for means on the basis of our empirical Bayes estimators that shrink both the means and the variances. Analytical and simulation studies and application to a real data set show that, compared with the t-intervals, our intervals have higher coverage probabilities while yielding shorter lengths on average. The double-shrinkage intervals are on average shorter than the intervals from shrinking the means alone and are always no longer than the intervals from shrinking the variances alone. Also, the intervals are explicitly defined and can be computed immediately.

Empirical Bayes Confidence Intervals for Means of Natural Exponential Family-Quadratic Variance Function Distributions with Application to Small Area Estimation

The paper develops empirical Bayes (EB) confidence intervals for population means with distributions belonging to the natural exponential family-quadratic variance function (NEF-QVF) family when the sample size for a particular population is moderate or large. The basis for such development is to find an interval centred around the posterior mean which meets the target coverage probability asymptotically, and then show that the difference between the coverage probabilities of the Bayes and EB intervals is negligible up to a certain order. The approach taken is Edgeworth expansion so that the sample sizes from the different populations need not be significantly large. The proposed intervals meet the target coverage probabilities asymptotically, and are easy to construct. We illustrate use of these intervals in the context of small area estimation both through real and simulated data. The proposed intervals are different from the bootstrap intervals. The latter can be applied quite generally, but the order of accuracy of these intervals in meeting the desired coverage probability is unknown.

Likelihood Estimation and Inference in a Class of Nonregular Econometric Models

We study inference in structural models with a jump in the conditional density, where location and size of the jump are described by regression curves. Two prominent examples are auction models, where the bid density jumps from zero to a positive value at the lowest cost, and equilibrium job-search models, where the wage density jumps from one positive level to another at the reservation wage. General inference in such models remained a long-standing, unresolved problem, primarily due to nonregularities and computational difficulties caused by discontinuous likelihood functions. This paper develops likelihood-based estimation and inference methods for these models, focusing on optimal (Bayes) and maximum likelihood procedures. We derive convergence rates and distribution theory, and develop Bayes and Wald inference. We show that Bayes estimators and confidence intervals are attractive both theoretically and computationally, and that Bayes confidence intervals, based on posterior quantiles, provide a valid large sample inference method.

Likelihood Estimation and Inference in a Class of Nonregular Econometric Models

In this paper we study estimation and inference in structural models with a jump in the conditional density, where the location and size of the jump are described by regression lines. Two prominent examples are auction models, where the density jumps from zero to a positive value, and the equilibrium job search model, where the density jumps from one level to another, inducing kinks in the cumulative distribution function. An early model of this kind was introduced by Aigner, Amemiya, and Poirier (19776), but the estimation and inference in such models remained an unresolved problem, with the important exception of the specific cases studied by Donald and Paarsch (1993a) and the univariate case in Ibragimov and Has'minskii (1981a). The main difficulty is the statistical non-regularity of the problem caused by discontinuities in the likelihood function. This difficulty also makes the problem computationally challenging. This paper develops estimation and inference theory and methods for such models based on likelihood procedures, focusing on the optimal (Bayes) procedures, including the MLEs. We obtain results on convergence rates and distribution theory, and develop Wald and Bayes type inference and confidence intervals. The Bayes procedures are attractive both theoretically and computationally. The Bayes confidence intervals, based on the posterior quantiles, are shown to provide a valid large sample inference method with good small sample properties. This inference result is of independent practical and theoretical interest due to the highly non-regular nature of the likelihood in these models, in which the maximum likelihood statistic or any finite dimensional statistic is not asymptotically sufficient.

Bayesian Analysis of Mean Parameter in a Pareto Distribution

In this paper, we derive some Bayes estimators of mean parameter in a Pareto distribution under the square error, linex and another loss function for a non­informative and a gamma prior. Bayes risks of Bayes estimators for mean parameter are compared numerically with each other. Also, Bayes confidence intervals of mean parameter in the Pareto distribution are numerically compared by help of Binary­Search Method for which computer­aided simulation is used.

On an Asymptotic Theory of Conditional and Unconditional Coverage Probabilities of Empirical Bayes Confidence Intervals

Empirical Bayes (EB) methodology is now widely used in statistics. However, construction of EB confidence intervals is still very limited. Following Cox (1975), Hill (1990) and Carlin & Gelfand (1990, 1991), we consider EB confidence intervals, which are adjusted so that the actual coverage probabilities asymptotically meet the target coverage probabilities up to the second order. We consider both unconditional and conditional coverage, conditioning being done with respect to an ancillary statistic.

Theory & Methods: Spatially‐adaptive Penalties for Spline Fitting

The paper studies spline fitting with a roughness penalty that adapts to spatial heterogeneity in the regression function. The estimates are pth degree piecewise polynomials with p− 1 continuous derivatives. A large and fixed number of knots is used and smoothing is achieved by putting a quadratic penalty on the jumps of the pth derivative at the knots. To be spatially adaptive, the logarithm of the penalty is itself a linear spline but with relatively few knots and with values at the knots chosen to minimize the generalized cross validation (GCV) criterion. This locally‐adaptive spline estimator is compared with other spline estimators in the literature such as cubic smoothing splines and knot‐selection techniques for least squares regression. Our estimator can be interpreted as an empirical Bayes estimate for a prior allowing spatial heterogeneity. In cases of spatially heterogeneous regression functions, empirical Bayes confidence intervals using this prior achieve better pointwise coverage probabilities than confidence intervals based on a global‐penalty parameter. The method is developed first for univariate models and then extended to additive models.