3,998 research outputs found
Distribution-Preserving Statistical Disclosure Limitation
One approach to limiting disclosure risk in public-use microdata is to release multiply-imputed, partially synthetic data sets. These are data on actual respondents, but with confidential data replaced by multiply-imputed synthetic values. A mis-specified imputation model can invalidate inferences because the distribution of synthetic data is completely determined by the model used to generate them. We present two practical methods of generating synthetic values when the imputer has only limited information about the true data generating process. One is applicable when the true likelihood is known up to a monotone transformation. The second requires only limited knowledge of the true likelihood, but nevertheless preserves the conditional distribution of the confidential data, up to sampling error, on arbitrary subdomains. Our method maximizes data utility and minimizes incremental disclosure risk up to posterior uncertainty in the imputation model and sampling error in the estimated transformation. We validate the approach with a simulation and application to a large linked employer-employee database.statistical disclosure limitation; confidentiality; privacy; multiple imputation; partially synthetic data
Convex cones of generalized multiply monotone functions and the dual cones
Let and be nonnegative integers such that . The convex
cone of all functions on an arbitrary interval
whose derivatives of orders
are nondecreasing is characterized in terms of extreme rays of the cone
. A simple description of the convex cone dual to
is given. These results are useful in, and were motivated
by, applications in probability. In fact, the results are obtained in a more
general setting with certain generalized derivatives of of the th order
in place of . Somewhat similar results were previously obtained in the
case when the left endpoint of the interval is finite, with certain
additional integrability conditions; such conditions fail to hold in the
mentioned applications.Comment: Version 2: More applications given; two typos fixe
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