Ascertainment: An Overwiew of the Classical Segregation Analysis Model for Independent Sibships

Several different methodologies for parameter estimation under various ascertainment sampling schemes have been proposed in the past. In this article, some of the methodologies that have been proposed for independent sibships under the classical segregation analysis model are synthesized, and the general likelihoods derived for single, multiple and complete ascertainment. The issue of incorporating the sibship size distribution into the analysis is addressed, and the effect of conditioning the likelihood on the observed sibship sizes is discussed. It is shown that when the number of probands in a sibship is not specified, the corresponding likelihood can be used for a broader class of ascertainment schemes than is subsumed by the classical model.     

An Application of the Logistic Distribution to the Analysis of a Measles Epidemic

The relationship between the development of measles and age at immunization and time since immunization is examined using a trichotomous logistic distribution with maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters. The first and second partial derivatives used in the estimation scheme are presented.     

The Analysis of Correlated Binary Outcomes Using Multivariate Logistic Regression

A method for analyzing correlated binary outcomes when the responses are distinct measurements made simultaneously on a single individual is presented. This extension of univariate logistic regression allows us to model the dependence of the responses on a set of covariates while estimating the degree of association among them. For the case of two dichotomous outcomes, a form of the cumulative bivariate logistic distribution proposed by Gumbel is used to characterize their joint probabilities in terms of logistic marginal probabilities and the correlation coefficient of the responses. The model is then extended to accommodate three or more dichotomous outcomes. A two-step approximation to fitting the multivariate logistic model is also described.     

Fisher information for a multivariate extreme value distribution

Explicit algebraic formulae for the Fisher information matrixof the multivariate extreme value distribution with generalisedextreme value margins and logistic dependence structure aregiven.     

Estimating a boundary line model for a biological response by maximum likelihood

The boundary line model was proposed to interpret biological data sets, where one variable is a biological response (e.g. crop yield) to an independent variable (e.g. available water content of the soil). The upper (or lower) boundary on a plot of the dependent variable (ordinate) against the independent variable (abscissa) represents the limiting response of the dependent variable to the independent variable value. Although the concept has been widely used, the methods proposed to define the boundary line have been subject to criticism. This is because of their ad hoc nature and lack of theoretical basis. In this article, we present a novel method for fitting the boundary line to a set of data. The method uses a censored probability distribution to interpret the data structure. The parameters of the distribution (and hence the boundary line parameters) are fitted using maximum likelihood and related confidence intervals deduced. The method is demonstrated using both simulated and real data sets.     

Parametric mode regression for bounded responses

We propose new parametric frameworks of regression analysis with the conditional mode of a bounded response as the focal point of interest. Covariate effects estimation and prediction based on the maximum likelihood method under two new classes of regression models are demonstrated. We also develop graphical and numerical diagnostic tools to detect various sources of model misspecification. Predictions based on different central tendency measures inferred using various regression models are compared using synthetic data in simulations. Finally, we conduct regression analysis for data from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative to demonstrate practical implementation of the proposed methods. Supporting Information that contain technical details and additional simulation and data analysis results are available online.     

Estimation of a covariance matrix with zeros

We consider estimation of the covariance matrix of a multivariaterandom vector under the constraint that certain covariancesare zero. We first present an algorithm, which we call iterativeconditional fitting, for computing the maximum likelihood estimateof the constrained covariance matrix, under the assumption ofmultivariate normality. In contrast to previous approaches,this algorithm has guaranteed convergence properties. Droppingthe assumption of multivariate normality, we show how to estimatethe covariance matrix in an empirical likelihood approach. Theseapproaches are then compared via simulation and on an exampleof gene expression.     

Semiparametric estimation in copula models for bivariate sequential survival times

Sequentially observed survival times are of interest in many studies but there are difficulties in analyzing such data using nonparametric or semiparametric methods. First, when the duration of followup is limited and the times for a given individual are not independent, induced dependent censoring arises for the second and subsequent survival times. Non-identifiability of the marginal survival distributions for second and later times is another issue, since they are observable only if preceding survival times for an individual are uncensored. In addition, in some studies a significant proportion of individuals may never have the first event. Fully parametric models can deal with these features, but robustness is a concern. We introduce a new approach to address these issues. We model the joint distribution of the successive survival times by using copula functions, and provide semiparametric estimation procedures in which copula parameters are estimated without parametric assumptions on the marginal distributions. This provides more robust estimates and checks on the fit of parametric models. The methodology is applied to a motivating example involving relapse and survival following colon cancer treatment.     

On the exact null distribution of the generalised likelihood ratio test for analysing unreplicated factorial designs

Al-Shiha and Yang (1999) proposed a multistage procedure for analysing unreplicated factorial experiments, which is based on the statistic that is derived from the generalised likelihood ratio test statistic under the assumption of normality. It was shown by their simulation study that the method is quite competitive with Lenth's (1989) method. In their paper, because of the difficulty of determining the null distribution analytically, the quantiles of the null distribution were empirically simulated. In this paper, we give the exact null distribution of their test statistic, which makes it possible to calculate the critical values of the test.