Analysis of binary spatial data by quasi-likelihood estimating equations

The goal of this paper is to describe the application of quasi-likelihood estimating equations for spatially correlated binary data. In this paper, a logistic function is used to model the marginal probability of binary responses in terms of parameters of interest. With mild assumptions on the correlations, the Leonov-Shiryaev formula combined with a comparison of characteristic functions can be used to establish asymptotic normality for linear combinations of the binary responses. The consistency and asymptotic normality for quasi-likelihood estimates can then be derived. By modeling spatial correlation with a variogram, we apply these asymptotic results to test independence of two spatially correlated binary outcomes and illustrate the concepts with a well-known example based on data from Lansing Woods. The comparison of generalized estimating equations and the proposed approach is also discussed.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053605000000057 in the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

A Checklist and Key to Species of the Genus Betacixius Matsumura (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae) with Descriptions of Two New Species from Guizhou Province, China

ABSTRACT Two new species of Betacixius Matsumura, 1914 (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Cixiidae: Cixiini), B. bispinus Zhang and Chen sp. nov. (China: Guizhou) and B. flagellihamus Zhang and Chen sp. nov. (China: Guizhou), from southwest China, are described and illustrated. A key for identifying 23 known species of Betacixius is provided

Device-independent point estimation from finite data and its application to device-independent property estimation

The device-independent approach to physics is one where conclusions are drawn directly from the observed correlations between measurement outcomes. In quantum information, this approach allows one to make strong statements about the properties of the underlying systems or devices solely via the observation of Bell-inequality-violating correlations. However, since one can only perform a {\em finite number} of experimental trials, statistical fluctuations necessarily accompany any estimation of these correlations. Consequently, an important gap remains between the many theoretical tools developed for the asymptotic scenario and the experimentally obtained raw data. In particular, a physical and concurrently practical way to estimate the underlying quantum distribution has so far remained elusive. Here, we show that the natural analogs of the maximum-likelihood estimation technique and the least-square-error estimation technique in the device-independent context result in point estimates of the true distribution that are physical, unique, computationally tractable and consistent. They thus serve as sound algorithmic tools allowing one to bridge the aforementioned gap. As an application, we demonstrate how such estimates of the underlying quantum distribution can be used to provide, in certain cases, trustworthy estimates of the amount of entanglement present in the measured system. In stark contrast to existing approaches to device-independent parameter estimations, our estimation does not require the prior knowledge of {\em any} Bell inequality tailored for the specific property and the specific distribution of interest.Comment: Essentially published version, but with the typo in Eq. (E5) correcte

Variations in the Upper Paleolithic Adaptations of North China: A Review of the Evidence and Implications for the Onset of Food Production

The Upper Paleolithic (UP) of North China has the richest archaeological data and longest history of research in the Paleolithic archaeology of China, but there is a relative lack of systematic studies addressing human adaptations. This paper explores the spatial and temporal variability of human adaptations in terms of mobility, the key variable in the adaptive systems of hunter-gatherers. We find that before the UP, little adaptive differentiation is shown in the archaeological record of North China. The early Upper Paleolithic (EUP) is distinguished by four distinctive modes of mobility and subsistence organized roughly along lines of habitat variation. These modes persisted in the Late Upper Paleolithic (LUP), underlying the widespread prevalence of microblade technology throughout North China. This pattern significantly influenced adaptive changes during the transition from the terminal Pleistocene to early Holocene. Earliest food production emerged in hilly flank habitats where EUP mobility decreased quickly and social organization was more complex. This retrospective view of UP adaptations highlights the important role that prior conditions played at the evolutionary crossroads of prehistoric North China