1,281 research outputs found
Iterative graph cuts for image segmentation with a nonlinear statistical shape prior
Shape-based regularization has proven to be a useful method for delineating
objects within noisy images where one has prior knowledge of the shape of the
targeted object. When a collection of possible shapes is available, the
specification of a shape prior using kernel density estimation is a natural
technique. Unfortunately, energy functionals arising from kernel density
estimation are of a form that makes them impossible to directly minimize using
efficient optimization algorithms such as graph cuts. Our main contribution is
to show how one may recast the energy functional into a form that is
minimizable iteratively and efficiently using graph cuts.Comment: Revision submitted to JMIV (02/24/13
Estimating average marginal effects in nonseparable structural systems
We provide nonparametric estimators of derivative ratio-based average marginal effects of an endogenous cause, X, on a response of interest, Y , for a system of recursive structural equations. The system need not exhibit linearity, separability, or monotonicity. Our estimators are local indirect least squares estimators analogous to those of Heckman and Vytlacil (1999, 2001) who treat a latent index model involving a binary X. We treat the traditional case of an observed exogenous instrument (OXI)and the case where one observes error-laden proxies for an unobserved exogenous instrument (PXI). For PXI, we develop and apply new results for estimating densities and expectations conditional on mismeasured variables. For both OXI and PXI, we use infnite order flat-top kernels to obtain uniformly convergent and asymptotically normal nonparametric estimators of instrument-conditioned effects, as well as root-n consistent and asymptotically normal estimators of average effects.
A Primer on Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces
Reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces are elucidated without assuming prior
familiarity with Hilbert spaces. Compared with extant pedagogic material,
greater care is placed on motivating the definition of reproducing kernel
Hilbert spaces and explaining when and why these spaces are efficacious. The
novel viewpoint is that reproducing kernel Hilbert space theory studies
extrinsic geometry, associating with each geometric configuration a canonical
overdetermined coordinate system. This coordinate system varies continuously
with changing geometric configurations, making it well-suited for studying
problems whose solutions also vary continuously with changing geometry. This
primer can also serve as an introduction to infinite-dimensional linear algebra
because reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces have more properties in common with
Euclidean spaces than do more general Hilbert spaces.Comment: Revised version submitted to Foundations and Trends in Signal
Processin
Quantile and Probability Curves Without Crossing
This paper proposes a method to address the longstanding problem of lack of
monotonicity in estimation of conditional and structural quantile functions,
also known as the quantile crossing problem. The method consists in sorting or
monotone rearranging the original estimated non-monotone curve into a monotone
rearranged curve. We show that the rearranged curve is closer to the true
quantile curve in finite samples than the original curve, establish a
functional delta method for rearrangement-related operators, and derive
functional limit theory for the entire rearranged curve and its functionals. We
also establish validity of the bootstrap for estimating the limit law of the
the entire rearranged curve and its functionals. Our limit results are generic
in that they apply to every estimator of a monotone econometric function,
provided that the estimator satisfies a functional central limit theorem and
the function satisfies some smoothness conditions. Consequently, our results
apply to estimation of other econometric functions with monotonicity
restrictions, such as demand, production, distribution, and structural
distribution functions. We illustrate the results with an application to
estimation of structural quantile functions using data on Vietnam veteran
status and earnings.Comment: 29 pages, 4 figure
Higher Order Estimating Equations for High-dimensional Models
We introduce a new method of estimation of parameters in semiparametric and
nonparametric models. The method is based on estimating equations that are
-statistics in the observations. The -statistics are based on higher
order influence functions that extend ordinary linear influence functions of
the parameter of interest, and represent higher derivatives of this parameter.
For parameters for which the representation cannot be perfect the method leads
to a bias-variance trade-off, and results in estimators that converge at a
slower than -rate. In a number of examples the resulting rate can be
shown to be optimal. We are particularly interested in estimating parameters in
models with a nuisance parameter of high dimension or low regularity, where the
parameter of interest cannot be estimated at -rate, but we also
consider efficient -estimation using novel nonlinear estimators. The
general approach is applied in detail to the example of estimating a mean
response when the response is not always observed
Penalized Sieve Estimation and Inference of Semi-Nonparametric Dynamic Models: A Selective Review
In this selective review, we first provide some empirical examples that motivate the usefulness of semi-nonparametric techniques in modelling economic and financial time series. We describe popular classes of semi-nonparametric dynamic models and some temporal dependence properties. We then present penalized sieve extremum (PSE) estimation as a general method for semi-nonparametric models with cross-sectional, panel, time series, or spatial data. The method is especially powerful in estimating difficult ill-posed inverse problems such as semi-nonparametric mixtures or conditional moment restrictions. We review recent advances on inference and large sample properties of the PSE estimators, which include (1) consistency and convergence rates of the PSE estimator of the nonparametric part; (2) limiting distributions of plug-in PSE estimators of functionals that are either smooth (i.e., root-n estimable) or non-smooth (i.e., slower than root-n estimable); (3) simple criterion-based inference for plug-in PSE estimation of smooth or non-smooth functionals; and (4) root-n asymptotic normality of semiparametric two-step estimators and their consistent variance estimators. Examples from dynamic asset pricing, nonlinear spatial VAR, semiparametric GARCH, and copula-based multivariate financial models are used to illustrate the general results
A Robbins-Monro procedure for estimation in semiparametric regression models
This paper is devoted to the parametric estimation of a shift together with
the nonparametric estimation of a regression function in a semiparametric
regression model. We implement a very efficient and easy to handle
Robbins-Monro procedure. On the one hand, we propose a stochastic algorithm
similar to that of Robbins-Monro in order to estimate the shift parameter. A
preliminary evaluation of the regression function is not necessary to estimate
the shift parameter. On the other hand, we make use of a recursive
Nadaraya-Watson estimator for the estimation of the regression function. This
kernel estimator takes into account the previous estimation of the shift
parameter. We establish the almost sure convergence for both Robbins-Monro and
Nadaraya--Watson estimators. The asymptotic normality of our estimates is also
provided. Finally, we illustrate our semiparametric estimation procedure on
simulated and real data.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/12-AOS969 the Annals of
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical
Statistics (http://www.imstat.org
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