Independent natural extension for infinite spaces : Williams-coherence to the rescue

We define the independent natural extension of two local models for the general case of infinite spaces, using both sets of desirable gambles and conditional lower previsions. In contrast to Miranda and Zaffalon (2015), we adopt Williams-coherence instead of Walley-coherence. We show that our notion of independent natural extension always exists - whereas theirs does not - and that it satisfies various convenient properties, including factorisation and external additivity

Addressing ambiguity in randomized reinsurance stop-loss treaties using belief functions

The aim of the paper is to model ambiguity in a randomized reinsurance stop-loss treaty. For this, we consider the lower envelope of the set of bivariate joint probability distributions having a precise discrete marginal and an ambiguous Bernoulli marginal. Under an independence assumption, since the lower envelope fails 2-monotonicity, inner/outer Dempster-Shafer approximations are considered, so as to select the optimal retention level by maximizing the lower expected insurer's annual profit under reinsurance. We show that the inner approximation is not suitable in the reinsurance problem, while the outer approximation preserves the given marginal information, weakens the independence assumption, and does not introduce spurious information in the retention level selection problem. Finally, we provide a characterization of the optimal retention level

Independent Natural Extension for Infinite Spaces

We define and study the independent natural extension of two local uncertainty models for the general case of infinite spaces, using the frameworks of sets of desirable gambles and conditional lower previsions. In contrast to Miranda and Zaffalon (2015), we adopt Williams-coherence instead of Walley-coherence. We show that our notion of independent natural extension always exists - whereas theirs does not - and that it satisfies various convenient properties, including factorisation and external additivity. The strength of these properties depends on the specific type of epistemic independence that is adopted. In particular, epistemic event-independence is shown to outperform epistemic atom-independence. Finally, the cases of lower expectations, expectations, lower probabilities and probabilities are obtained as special instances of our general definition. By applying our results to these instances, we demonstrate that epistemic independence is indeed epistemic, and that it includes the conventional notion of independence as a special case.Comment: Parts of this contribution already appeared in an earlier conference paper, the arXiv version of which is arXiv:1701.07295. The current version extends this previous work, adding various new results and examples, and has been submitted for publication in the ISIPTA 2017 special edition of the International Journal of Approximate Reasonin

ISIPTA'07: Proceedings of the Fifth International Symposium on Imprecise Probability: Theories and Applications

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Représentation et combinaison d'informations incertaines : nouveaux résultats avec applications aux études de sûreté nucléaires

It often happens that the value of some parameters or variables of a system are imperfectly known, either because of the variability of the modelled phenomena, or because the availableinformation is imprecise or incomplete. Classical probability theory is usually used to treat these uncertainties. However, recent years have witnessed the appearance of arguments pointing to the conclusion that classical probabilities are inadequate to handle imprecise or incomplete information. Other frameworks have thus been proposed to address this problem: the three main are probability sets, random sets and possibility theory. There are many open questions concerning uncertainty treatment within these frameworks. More precisely, it is necessary to build bridges between these three frameworks to advance toward a unified handlingof uncertainty. Also, there is a need of practical methods to treat information, as using these framerowks can be computationally costly. In this work, we propose some answers to these two needs for a set of commonly encountered problems. In particular, we focus on the problems of:- Uncertainty representation- Fusion and evluation of multiple source information- Independence modellingThe aim being to give tools (both of theoretical and practical nature) to treat uncertainty. Some tools are then applied to some problems related to nuclear safety issues.Souvent, les valeurs de certains paramètres ou variables d'un système ne sont connues que de façon imparfaite, soit du fait de la variabilité des phénomènes physiques que l'on cherche à représenter,soit parce que l'information dont on dispose est imprécise, incomplète ou pas complètement fiable.Usuellement, cette incertitude est traitée par la théorie classique des probabilités. Cependant, ces dernières années ont vu apparaître des arguments indiquant que les probabilités classiques sont inadéquates lorsqu'il faut représenter l'imprécision présente dans l'information. Des cadres complémentaires aux probabilités classiques ont donc été proposés pour remédier à ce problème : il s'agit, principalement, des ensembles de probabilités, des ensembles aléatoires et des possibilités. Beaucoup de questions concernant le traitement des incertitudes dans ces trois cadres restent ouvertes. En particulier, il est nécessaire d'unifier ces approches et de comprendre les liens existants entre elles, et de proposer des méthodes de traitement permettant d'utiliser ces approches parfois cher en temps de calcul. Dans ce travail, nous nous proposons d'apporter des réponses à ces deux besoins pour une série de problème de traitement de l'incertain rencontré en analyse de sûreté. En particulier, nous nous concentrons sur les problèmes suivants :- Représentation des incertitudes- Fusion/évaluation de données venant de sources multiples- Modélisation de l'indépendanceL'objectif étant de fournir des outils, à la fois théoriques et pratiques, de traitement d'incertitude. Certains de ces outils sont ensuite appliqués à des problèmes rencontrés en sûreté nucléaire

Epistemic independence for imprecise probabilities

1nonenoneVICIG P.Vicig, Paol