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Income modeling is crucial in determining workers’ earnings and is an important research topic in labor economics. Traditional regressions based on normal distributions are statistical models widely applied. However, income data have an asymmetric behavior and are best modeled by non-normal distributions. The objective of this work is to propose parametric quantile regressions based on two asymmetric income distributions: Dagum and Singh–Maddala. The proposed quantile regression models are based on reparameterizations of the original distributions by inserting a quantile parameter. We present the reparameterizations, properties of the distributions, and the quantile regression models with their inferential aspects. We proceed with Monte Carlo simulation studies, considering the performance evaluation of the maximum likelihood estimation and an analysis of the empirical distribution of two types of residuals. The Monte Carlo results show that both models meet the expected outcomes. We apply the proposed quantile regression models to a household income data set provided by the National Institute of Statistics of Chile. We show that both proposed models have good performance in model fitting. Thus, we conclude that the obtained results favor the Singh–Maddala and Dagum quantile regression models for positive asymmetrically distributed data related to incomes. The economic implications of our investigation are discussed in the final section. Hence, our proposal can be a valuable addition to the tool-kit of applied statisticians and econometricians.

We define a new quantile regression model based on a reparameterized exponentiated odd log-logistic Weibull distribution, and obtain some of its structural properties. It includes as sub-models some known regression models that can be utilized in many areas. The maximum likelihood method is adopted to estimate the parameters, and several simulations are performed to study the finite sample properties of the maximum likelihood estimators. The applicability of the proposed regression model is well justified by means of a gastric carcinoma dataset.

Deep feedforward neural networks (DFNNs) are a powerful tool for functional approximation. We describe flexible versions of generalized linear and generalized linear mixed models incorporating basis functions formed by a DFNN. The consideration of neural networks with random effects is not widely used in the literature, perhaps because of the computational challenges of incorporating subject specific parameters into already complex models. Efficient computational methods for high-dimensional Bayesian inference are developed using Gaussian variational approximation, with a parsimonious but flexible factor parameterization of the covariance matrix. We implement natural gradient methods for the optimization, exploiting the factor structure of the variational covariance matrix in computation of the natural gradient. Our flexible DFNN models and Bayesian inference approach lead to a regression and classification method that has a high prediction accuracy, and is able to quantify the prediction uncertainty in a principled and convenient way. We also describe how to perform variable selection in our deep learning method. The proposed methods are illustrated in a wide range of simulated and real-data examples, and compare favorably to a state of the art flexible regression and classification method in the statistical literature, the Bayesian additive regression trees (BART) method. User-friendly software packages in Matlab, R, and Python implementing the proposed methods are available at https://github.com/VBayesLab .

The Weibull distribution is a versatile probability distribution widely applied in modeling the failure times of objects or systems. Its behavior is shaped by two essential parameters: the shape parameter and the scale parameter. By manipulating these parameters, the Weibull distribution adeptly captures diverse failure patterns observed in real-world scenarios. This flexibility and broad applicability make it an indispensable tool in reliability analysis and survival modeling. This manuscript explores five parameterizations of the Weibull distribution, each based on different moments, like mean, quantile, and mode. It meticulously characterizes each parameterization, introducing a novel one based on the model’s mode, along with its hazard and survival functions, shedding light on their unique properties. Additionally, it delves into the interpretation of regression coefficients when incorporating regression structures into these parameterizations. It is analytically established that all five parameterizations define the same log-likelihood function, underlining their equivalence. Through Monte Carlo simulation studies, the performances of these parameterizations are evaluated in terms of parameter estimations and residuals. The models are further applied to real-world data, illustrating their effectiveness in analyzing material fatigue life and survival data. In summary, this manuscript provides a comprehensive exploration of the Weibull distribution and its various parameterizations. It offers valuable insights into their applications and implications in modeling failure times, with potential contributions to diverse fields requiring reliability and survival analysis.

We propose a two-stage method for comparing standardized coefficients in structural equation modeling (SEM). At stage 1, we transform the original model of interest into the standardized model by model reparameterization, so that the model parameters appearing in the standardized model are equivalent to the standardized parameters of the original model. At stage 2, we impose appropriate linear equality constraints on the standardized model and use a likelihood ratio test to make statistical inferences about the equality of standardized coefficients. Unlike other existing methods for comparing standardized coefficients, the proposed method does not require specific modeling features (e.g., specification of nonlinear constraints), which are available only in certain SEM software programs. Moreover, this method allows researchers to compare two or more standardized coefficients simultaneously in a standard and convenient way. Three real examples are given to illustrate the proposed method, using EQS, a popular SEM software program. Results show that the proposed method performs satisfactorily for testing the equality of standardized coefficients.

The inverse Gaussian distribution, known for its flexible shape, is widely used across various applications. Existing confidence intervals for the mean parameter, such as profile likelihood, reparametrized profile likelihood, and Wald-type reparametrized profile likelihood with observed Fisher information intervals, are generally effective. However, our simulation study identifies scenarios where the coverage probability falls below the nominal confidence level. Wald-type intervals are widely used in statistics and have a symmetry property. We mathematically derive the Wald-type profile likelihood (WPL) interval and the Wald-type reparametrized profile likelihood with expected Fisher information (WRPLE) interval and compare their performance to existing methods. Our results indicate that the WRPLE interval outperforms others in terms of coverage probability, while the WPL typically yields the shortest interval. Additionally, we apply these proposed intervals to a real dataset, demonstrating their potential applicability to other datasets that follow the IG distribution.

This article is concerned with the optimal design problem of efficient statistical inference for comparing several regression curves estimated from samples of independent measurements. The objective is to find the μ p c -optimal designs that minimize an L p -norm of the asymptotic variance of the prediction for the contrasts of k regression curves. General equivalence theorems are established to verify the μ p c -optimality in the set of all approximate designs. Invariant property with respect to model reparameterization are also obtained. The results obtained for the linear models are extended to the situation of generalized linear models. Three examples are presented to illustrate the applications of the obtained results.

This study develops a tractable, closed-form expression for the asymptotic variance of the coefficient of variation (CV) estimator under a reparameterized Birnbaum–Saunders (BirSau) distribution. Using the method of moments, we derive analytical formulas for the mean, variance, and coefficient of variation of X∼BirSau(μ,λ) and construct a plug-in estimator for the CV. By applying the delta method within this new nonlinear parametrization, we obtain an explicit and compact expression for the asymptotic variance of the CV estimator, thereby extending general asymptotic theory to a distribution-specific setting where higher-order moments lack closed forms under the classical parametrization. Extensive Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to examine the estimator’s finite-sample performance under various parameter configurations and sample sizes. The results demonstrate that the estimator exhibits decreasing bias and variance as the sample size increases, with strong convergence to its theoretical asymptotic behavior. A real-data application using rainfall measurements from northeastern Thailand further illustrates the practical utility of the proposed approach in quantifying relative variability across regions. These findings provide a concise analytical foundation for the coefficient of variation under the Birnbaum–Saunders framework, enhancing its theoretical development and facilitating practical implementation in environmental and reliability analyses.

Modelling based on the Birnbaum–Saunders distribution has received considerable attention in recent years. In this article, we introduce a new approach for Birnbaum–Saunders regression models, which allows us to analyze data in their original scale and to model non-constant variance. In addition, we propose four types of residuals for these models and conduct a simulation study to establish which of them has a better performance. Moreover, we develop methods of local influence by calculating the normal curvatures under different perturbation schemes. Finally, we perform a statistical analysis with real data by using the approach proposed in the article. This analysis shows the potentiality of our proposal.

Sparse principal component analysis is a very active research area in the last decade. It produces component loadings with many zero entries which facilitates their interpretation and helps avoid redundant variables. The classic factor analysis is another popular dimension reduction technique which shares similar interpretation problems and could greatly benefit from sparse solutions. Unfortunately, there are very few works considering sparse versions of the classic factor analysis. Our goal is to contribute further in this direction. We revisit the most popular procedures for exploratory factor analysis, maximum likelihood and least squares. Sparse factor loadings are obtained for them by, first, adopting a special reparameterization and, second, by introducing additional ℓ 1 -norm penalties into the standard factor analysis problems. As a result, we propose sparse versions of the major factor analysis procedures. We illustrate the developed algorithms on well-known psychometric problems. Our sparse solutions are critically compared to ones obtained by other existing methods.