Gamma Kernels Research Articles

Dynamics of a pituitary–adrenal model with distributed time delays

This paper investigates the effects of distributed time delays on the dynamics of the pituitary–adrenal axis. Our two-dimensional model incorporates distributed time delays with general delay kernels, specifically illustrating interactions between adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol (CORT). We derive general theoretical results for general delay kernels, exemplified by Dirac and weak Gamma kernels, revealing stability transitions characterized by Hopf bifurcations. We establish conditions for the local asymptotic stability of the unique equilibrium and discuss the existence of periodic solutions. Numerical simulations demonstrate that periodic oscillations appear for appropriate values of the average time delays. Including an external input results in both ultradian and circadian rhythms, highlighting the system’s dynamic responsiveness to external stimuli.

Incomplete Gamma Kernels: Generalizing Locally Optimal Projection Operators.

We present incomplete gamma kernels, a generalization of Locally Optimal Projection (LOP) operators. In particular, we reveal the relation of the classical localized L1 estimator, used in the LOP operator for point cloud denoising, to the common Mean Shift framework via a novel kernel. Furthermore, we generalize this result to a whole family of kernels that are built upon the incomplete gamma function and each represents a localized Lp estimator. By deriving various properties of the kernel family concerning distributional, Mean Shift induced, and other aspects such as strict positive definiteness, we obtain a deeper understanding of the operator's projection behavior. From these theoretical insights, we illustrate several applications ranging from an improved Weighted LOP (WLOP) density weighting scheme and a more accurate Continuous LOP (CLOP) kernel approximation to the definition of a novel set of robust loss functions. These incomplete gamma losses include the Gaussian and LOP loss as special cases and can be applied to various tasks including normal filtering. Furthermore, we show that the novel kernels can be included as priors into neural networks. We demonstrate the effects of each application in a range of quantitative and qualitative experiments that highlight the benefits induced by our modifications.

Multiple combined gamma kernel estimations for nonnegative data with Bayesian adaptive bandwidths

The modified (or second version) gamma kernel of Chen [Probability density function estimation using gamma kernels, Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics 52 (2000), pp. 471–480] should not be automatically preferred to the standard (or first version) gamma kernel, especially for univariate convex densities with a pole at the origin. In the multivariate case, multiple combined gamma kernels, defined as a product of univariate standard and modified ones, are here introduced for nonparametric and semiparametric smoothing of unknown orthant densities with support \([0,\infty )^d\). Asymptotical properties of these multivariate associated kernel estimators are established. Bayesian estimation of adaptive bandwidth vectors using multiple pure combined gamma smoothers, and in semiparametric setup, are exactly derived under the usual quadratic function. The simulation results and four illustrations on real datasets reveal very interesting advantages of the proposed combined approach for nonparametric smoothing, compare to both pure standard and pure modified gamma kernel versions, and under integrated squared error and average log-likelihood criteria.

A hierarchy of Palm measures for determinantal point processes with gamma kernels

The gamma kernels are a family of projection kernels $K^{(z,z’)}= K^{(z,z’)}(x,y)$ on a doubly infinite one-dimensional lattice. They are expressed through Euler’s gamma function and depend on two continuous parameters $z,z’$. The gamma kernels initia

Nonparametric Estimation of Multivariate Density and its Derivative by Dependent Data Using Gamma Kernels

We consider the nonparametric estimation of the multivariate probability density function and its partial derivative with a support on nonnegative axis by dependent data. We use the class of kernel estimators with asymmetric gamma kernel functions. The gamma kernels are nonnegative; they may change their shape depending on the position on the semi-axis and possess good boundary properties for a wide class of densities. Asymptotic estimates of the multivariate density and of its partial derivatives such as biases, variances, and covariances are derived. The optimal bandwidth of both estimates is obtained as a minimum of the mean integrated squared error (MISE) by dependent data with a strong mixing. Optimal convergence rates of the MISE both for the density and its derivative are found.

Limit theorems for multivariate Brownian semistationary processes and feasible results

AbstractIn this paper we introduce the multivariate Brownian semistationary (BSS) process and study the joint asymptotic behaviour of its realised covariation using in-fill asymptotics. First, we present a central limit theorem for general multivariate Gaussian processes with stationary increments, which are not necessarily semimartingales. Then, we show weak laws of large numbers, central limit theorems, and feasible results for BSS processes. An explicit example based on the so-called gamma kernels is also provided.

Testing Symmetry of Unknown Densities via Smoothing with the Generalized Gamma Kernels

This paper improves a kernel-smoothed test of symmetry through combining it with a new class of asymmetric kernels called the generalized gamma kernels. It is demonstrated that the improved test statistic has a normal limit under the null of symmetry and is consistent under the alternative. A test-oriented smoothing parameter selection method is also proposed to implement the test. Monte Carlo simulations indicate superior finite-sample performance of the test statistic. It is worth emphasizing that the performance is grounded on the first-order normal limit and a small number of observations, despite a nonparametric convergence rate and a sample-splitting procedure of the test.

Rigidity of determinantal point processes with the Airy, the Bessel and the Gamma kernel

A point process is said to be rigid if for any bounded domain in the phase space, the number of particles in the domain is almost surely determined by the restriction of the configuration to the complement of our bounded domain. The main result of this paper is that determinantal point processes with the Airy, the Bessel and the Gamma kernels are rigid. The proof follows the scheme used by Ghosh, Ghosh and Peres: the main step is the construction of a sequence of additive statistics with variance going to zero.

Family of the generalised gamma kernels: a generator of asymmetric kernels for nonnegative data

Unlike symmetric kernels, so far exploring asymptotics on asymmetric kernels has relied on diversified approaches. This paper proposes a family of the generalised gamma (GG) kernels that is built on the probability density function of the GG distribution [Stacy, E.W. (1962), ‘A Generalization of the Gamma Distribution’, Annals of Mathematical Statistics, 33, 1187–1192] and a few common conditions. The family can generate asymmetric kernels that share appealing properties with the modified gamma kernel [Chen, S.X. (2000), ‘Probability Density Function Estimation Using Gamma Kernels’, Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics, 52, 471–480]. Asymptotics on the kernels generated from the family can be delivered by manipulating the conditions directly, as with symmetric kernels.

Nonparametric gamma kernel estimators of density derivatives on positive semi-axis

We consider nonparametric estimation of the derivative of a probability density function with the bounded support [0, ∞). Estimators are looked up in the class estimators with asymmetric gamma kernel functions. The use of gamma kernels is due to the fact they are nonnegative, change there shape depending on the position on the axis and possess other good properties. We found analytical expressions for bias, variance, mean integrated squared errors (MISE) of the derivative estimator. An optimal bandwidth, the optimal MISE, and rate of mean square convergence of the estimators for density derivative have also been found.

Gamma Kernel Estimators for Density and Hazard Rate of Right‐Censored Data

The nonparametric estimation for the density and hazard rate functions for right‐censored data using the kernel smoothing techniques is considered. The “classical” fixed symmetric kernel type estimator of these functions performs well in the interior region, but it suffers from the problem of bias in the boundary region. Here, we propose new estimators based on the gamma kernels for the density and the hazard rate functions. The estimators are free of bias and achieve the optimal rate of convergence in terms of integrated mean squared error. The mean integrated squared error, the asymptotic normality, and the law of iterated logarithm are studied. A comparison of gamma estimators with the local linear estimator for the density function and with hazard rate estimator proposed by Müller and Wang (1994), which are free from boundary bias, is investigated by simulations.

A note on the performance of the gamma kernel estimators at the boundary

The gamma kernel estimator is proposed in Chen [Chen, S.X., 2000. Probability density function estimation using gamma kernels. Annals of the Institute of Statistical Mathematics 52, 471–480] to estimate densities with support [ 0 , ∞ ) . It is shown in his paper that the gamma kernel estimator is non-negative, free of boundary bias, and achieves the optimal rate of convergence for the mean integrated squared error. Numerical results reported in Chen’s paper show that, in the boundary region, the gamma kernel estimator even outperforms some widely used boundary corrected density estimators such as the boundary kernel estimator. However, our study finds that the gamma kernel estimator at x = 0 is actually the reflection estimator when the double exponential kernel is used and is only boundary problem free when the estimated density has a shoulder at x = 0 (i.e., the first derivative of the density at x = 0 is zero). For densities not satisfying the shoulder condition, we show that the gamma kernel estimator has a severe boundary problem and its performance is inferior to that of the boundary kernel estimator.

Density and hazard rate estimation for censored and α-mixing data using gamma kernels

In this paper, we consider the non-parametric estimation for a density and hazard rate function for right censored α-mixing survival time data using kernel smoothing techniques. As survival times are positive with potentially high concentration at zero, one has to take into account the bias problems when the functions are estimated in the boundary region. In this paper, gamma kernel estimators of the density and the hazard rate function are proposed. The estimators use adaptive weights depending on the point in which we estimate the function, and they are robust to the boundary bias problem. For both estimators, the mean-squared error properties, including the rate of convergence, the almost sure consistency, and the asymptotic normality, are investigated. The results of a simulation study demonstrate the performance of the proposed estimators.

Modeling the Distribution of Precipitation Forecasts from the Canadian Ensemble Prediction System Using Kernel Density Estimation

AbstractKernel density estimation is employed to fit smooth probabilistic models to precipitation forecasts of the Canadian ensemble prediction system. An intuitive nonparametric technique, kernel density estimation has become a powerful tool widely used in the approximation of probability density functions. The density estimators were constructed using the gamma kernels prescribed by S.-X. Chen, confined as they are to the nonnegative real axis, which constitutes the support of the random variable representing precipitation accumulation.Performance of kernel density estimators for several different smoothing bandwidths is compared with the discrete probabilistic model obtained as the fraction of member forecasts predicting the events, which for this study consisted of threshold exceedances. A propitious choice of the smoothing bandwidth yields smooth forecasts comparable, or sometimes superior, to the discrete probabilistic forecast, depending on the character of the raw ensemble forecasts. At the same time more realistic models of the probability density are achieved, particularly in the tail of the distribution, yielding forecasts that can be optimally calibrated for extreme events.

Semiparametric multivariate density estimation for positive data using copulas

The estimation of density functions for positive multivariate data is discussed. The proposed approach is semiparametric. The estimator combines gamma kernels or local linear kernels, also called boundary kernels, for the estimation of the marginal densities with parametric copulas to model the dependence. This semiparametric approach is robust both to the well-known boundary bias problem and the curse of dimensionality problem. Mean integrated squared error properties, including the rate of convergence, the uniform strong consistency and the asymptotic normality are derived. A simulation study investigates the finite sample performance of the estimator. The proposed estimator performs very well, also for data without boundary bias problems. For bandwidths choice in practice, the univariate least squares cross validation method for the bandwidth of the marginal density estimators is investigated. Applications in the field of finance are provided.

Semiparametric Multivariate Density Estimation for Positive Data Using Copulas

In this paper we estimate density functions for positive multivariate data. We propose a semiparametric approach. The estimator combines gamma kernels or local linear kernels, also called boundary kernels, for the estimation of the marginal densities with semiparametric copulas to model the dependence. This semiparametric approach is robust both to the well known boundary bias problem and the curse of dimensionality problem. We derive the mean integrated squared error properties, including the rate of convergence, the uniform strong consistency and the asymptotic normality. A simulation study investigates the finite sample performance of the estimator. We find that univariate least squares cross validation, to choose the bandwidth for the estimation of the marginal densities, works well and that the estimator we propose performs very well also for data with unbounded support. Applications in the field of finance are provided.

Density and Hazard Rate Estimation for Censored and A-Mixing Data Using Gamma Kernels

In this paper we consider the nonparametric estimation for a density and hazard rate function for right censored α-mixing survival time data using kernel smoothing techniques. Since survival times are positive with potentially a high concentration at zero, one has to take into account the bias problems when the functions are estimated in the boundary region. In this paper, gamma kernel estimators of the density and the hazard rate function are proposed. The estimators use adaptive weights depending on the point in which we estimate the function, and they are robust to the boundary bias problem. For both estimators, the mean squared error properties, including the rate of convergence, the almost sure consistency and the asymptotic normality are investigated. The results of a simulation demonstrate the excellent performance of the proposed estimators.

Central limit theorem for asymmetric kernel functionals

Asymmetric kernels are quite useful for the estimation of density functions with bounded support. Gamma kernels are designed to handle density functions whose supports are bounded from one end only, whereas beta kernels are particularly convenient for the estimation of density functions with compact support. These asymmetric kernels are nonnegative and free of boundary bias. Moreover, their shape varies according to the location of the data point, thus also changing the amount of smoothing. This paper applies the central limit theorem for degenerate U-statistics to compute the limiting distribution of a class of asymmetric kernel functionals.

Nonparametric specification tests for conditional duration models

This paper deals with the testing of autoregressive conditional duration (ACD) models by gauging the distance between the parametric density and hazard rate functions implied by the duration process and their non-parametric estimates. We derive the asymptotic justification using the functional delta method for fixed and gamma kernels, and then investigate the finite-sample properties through Monte Carlo simulations. Although our tests display some size distortion, bootstrapping suffices to correct the size without compromising their excellent power. We show the practical usefulness of such testing procedures for the estimation of intraday volatility patterns.

Local linear smoothers using asymmetric kernels

This paper considers using asymmetric kernels in local linear smoothing to estimate a regression curve with bounded support. The asymmetric kernels are either beta kernels if the curve has a compact support or gamma kernels if the curve is bounded from one end only. While possessing the standard benefits of local linear smoothing, the local linear smoother using the beta or gamma kernels offers some extra advantages in aspects of having finite variance and resistance to sparse design. These are due to their flexible kernel shape and the support of the kernel matching the support of the regression curve.