arXiv subjects

Holger Dette

Publications and source records attributed to Holger Dette.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2021

Statistical inference for the slope parameter in functional linear regression

In this paper we consider the linear regression model $Y =S X+\varepsilon $ with functional regressors and responses. We develop new inference tools to quantify deviations of the true slope $S$ from a hypothesized operator $S_0$ with respect to the Hilbert--Schmidt norm $\| S- S_0\|^2$, as well as the prediction error $\mathbb{E} \| S X - S_0 X \|^2$. Our analysis is applicable to functional time series and based on asymptotically pivotal statistics. This makes it particularly user friendly, because it avoids the choice of tuning parameters inherent in long-run variance estimation or bootstrap of dependent data. We also discuss two sample problems as well as change point detection. Finite sample properties are investigated by means of a simulation study.\\ Mathematically our approach is based on a sequential version of the popular spectral cut-off estimator $\hat S_N$ for $S$. It is well-known that the $L^2$-minimax rates in the functional regression model, both in estimation and prediction, are substantially slower than $1/\sqrt{N}$ (where $N$ denotes the sample size) and that standard estimators for $S$ do not converge weakly to non-degenerate limits. However, we demonstrate that simple plug-in estimators - such as $\| \hat S_N - S_0 \|^2$ for $\| S - S_0 \|^2$ - are $\sqrt{N}$-consistent and its sequential versions satisfy weak invariance principles. These results are based on the smoothing effect of $L^2$-norms and established by a new proof-technique, the {\it smoothness shift}, which has potential applications in other statistical inverse problems.

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arXiv2021

Reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces, polynomials and the classical moment problems

We show that polynomials do not belong to the reproducing kernel Hilbert space of infinitely differentiable translation-invariant kernels whose spectral measures have moments corresponding to a determinate moment problem. Our proof is based on relating this question to the problem of best linear estimation in continuous time one-parameter regression models with a stationary error process defined by the kernel. In particular, we show that the existence of a sequence of estimators with variances converging to $0$ implies that the regression function cannot be an element of the reproducing kernel Hilbert space. This question is then related to the determinacy of the Hamburger moment problem for the spectral measure corresponding to the kernel. In the literature it was observed that a non-vanishing constant function does not belong to the reproducing kernel Hilbert space associated with the Gaussian kernel (see Corollary 4.44 in Steinwart and Christmann, 2008). Our results provide a unifying view of this phenomenon and show that the mentioned result can be extended for arbitrary polynomials and a broad class of translation-invariant kernels.

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arXiv2021

Linear spectral statistics of sequential sample covariance matrices

Independent $p$-dimensional vectors with independent complex or real valued entries such that $\mathbb{E} [\mathbf{x}_i] = \mathbf{0}$, ${\rm Var } (\mathbf{x}_i) = \mathbf{I}_p$, $i=1, \ldots,n$, let $\mathbf{T }_n$ be a $p \times p$ Hermitian nonnegative definite matrix and $f $ be a given function. We prove that an approriately standardized version of the stochastic process $ \big ( {\operatorname{tr}} ( f(\mathbf{B}_{n,t}) ) \big )_{t \in [t_0, 1]} $ corresponding to a linear spectral statistic of the sequential empirical covariance estimator $$ \big ( \mathbf{B}_{n,t} )_{t\in [ t_0 , 1]} = \Big ( \frac{1}{n} \sum_{i=1}^{\lfloor n t \rfloor} \mathbf{T }^{1/2}_n \mathbf{x}_i \mathbf{x}_i ^\star \mathbf{T }^{1/2}_n \Big)_{t\in [ t_0 , 1]} $$ converges weakly to a non-standard Gaussian process for $n,p\to\infty$. As an application we use these results to develop a novel approach for monitoring the sphericity assumption in a high-dimensional framework, even if the dimension of the underlying data is larger than the sample size.

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arXiv2021

Nonparametric and high-dimensional functional graphical models

We consider the problem of constructing nonparametric undirected graphical models for high-dimensional functional data. Most existing statistical methods in this context assume either a Gaussian distribution on the vertices or linear conditional means. In this article we provide a more flexible model which relaxes the linearity assumption by replacing it by an arbitrary additive form. The use of functional principal components offers an estimation strategy that uses a group lasso penalty to estimate the relevant edges of the graph. We establish statistical guarantees for the resulting estimators, which can be used to prove consistency if the dimension and the number of functional principal components diverge to infinity with the sample size. We also investigate the empirical performance of our method through simulation studies and a real data application.

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arXiv2021

Relevant change points in high dimensional time series

This paper investigates the problem of detecting relevant change points in the mean vector, say $μ_t =(μ_{1,t},\ldots ,μ_{d,t})^T$ of a high dimensional time series $(Z_t)_{t\in \mathbb{Z}}$. While the recent literature on testing for change points in this context considers hypotheses for the equality of the means $μ_h^{(1)}$ and $μ_h^{(2)}$ before and after the change points in the different components, we are interested in a null hypothesis of the form $$ H_0: |μ^{(1)}_{h} - μ^{(2)}_{h} | \leq Δ_h ~~~\mbox{ for all } ~~h=1,\ldots ,d $$ where $Δ_1, \ldots , Δ_d$ are given thresholds for which a smaller difference of the means in the $h$-th component is considered to be non-relevant. We propose a new test for this problem based on the maximum of squared and integrated CUSUM statistics and investigate its properties as the sample size $n$ and the dimension $d$ both converge to infinity. In particular, using Gaussian approximations for the maximum of a large number of dependent random variables, we show that on certain points of the boundary of the null hypothesis a standardised version of the maximum converges weakly to a Gumbel distribution.

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arXiv2021

Optimal designs for comparing regression curves -- dependence within and between groups

We consider the problem of designing experiments for the comparison of two regression curves describing the relation between a predictor and a response in two groups, where the data between and within the group may be dependent. In order to derive efficient designs we use results from stochastic analysis to identify the best linear unbiased estimator (BLUE) in a corresponding continuous time model. It is demonstrated that in general simultaneous estimation using the data from both groups yields more precise results than estimation of the parameters separately in the two groups. Using the BLUE from simultaneous estimation, we then construct an efficient linear estimator for finite sample size by minimizing the mean squared error between the optimal solution in the continuous time model and its discrete approximation with respect to the weights (of the linear estimator). Finally, the optimal design points are determined by minimizing the maximal width of a simultaneous confidence band for the difference of the two regression functions. The advantages of the new approach are illustrated by means of a simulation study, where it is shown that the use of the optimal designs yields substantially narrower confidence bands than the application of uniform designs.

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arXiv2020

Sequential change point detection in high dimensional time series

Change point detection in high dimensional data has found considerable interest in recent years. Most of the literature either designs methodology for a retrospective analysis, where the whole sample is already available when the statistical inference begins, or considers online detection schemes controlling the average time until a false alarm. This paper takes a different point of view and develops monitoring schemes for the online scenario, where high dimensional data arrives successively and the goal is to detect changes as fast as possible controlling at the same time the probability of a type I error of a false alarm. We develop a sequential procedure capable of detecting changes in the mean vector of a successively observed high dimensional time series with spatial and temporal dependence. The statistical properties of the method are analyzed in the case where both, thesample size and dimension tend to infinity. In this scenario, it is shown that the new monitoring scheme has asymptotic level alpha under the null hypothesis of no change and is consistent under the alternative of a change in at least one component of the high dimensional mean vector. The approach is based on a new type of monitoring scheme for one-dimensional data which turns out to be often more powerful than the usually used CUSUM and Page-CUSUM methods, and the component-wise statistics are aggregated by the maximum statistic. For the analysis of the asymptotic properties of our monitoring scheme we prove that the range of a Brownian motion on a given interval is in the domain of attraction of the Gumbel distribution, which is a result of independent interest in extreme value theory. The finite sample properties of the new methodology are illustrated by means of a simulation study and in the analysis of a data example.

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arXiv2020

A note on optimal designs for estimating the slope of a polynomial regression

In this note we consider the optimal design problem for estimating the slope of a polynomial regression with no intercept at a given point, say z. In contrast to previous work, which considers symmetric design spaces we investigate the model on the interval $[0, a]$ and characterize those values of $z$, where an explicit solution of the optimal design is possible.

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arXiv2020

A Portmanteau-type test for detecting serial correlation in locally stationary functional time series

The Portmanteau test provides the vanilla method for detecting serial correlations in classical univariate time series analysis. The method is extended to the case of observations from a locally stationary functional time series. Asymptotic critical values are obtained by a suitable block multiplier bootstrap procedure. The test is shown to asymptotically hold its level and to be consistent against general alternatives.

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arXiv2020

A new approach for open-end sequential change point monitoring

We propose a new sequential monitoring scheme for changes in the parameters of a multivariate time series. In contrast to procedures proposed in the literature which compare an estimator from the training sample with an estimator calculated from the remaining data, we suggest to divide the sample at each time point after the training sample. Estimators from the sample before and after all separation points are then continuously compared calculating a maximum of norms of their differences. For open-end scenarios our approach yields an asymptotic level $α$ procedure, which is consistent under the alternative of a change in the parameter. By means of a simulation study it is demonstrated that the new method outperforms the commonly used procedures with respect to power and the feasibility of our approach is illustrated by analyzing two data examples.

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arXiv2020

Detecting relevant differences in the covariance operators of functional time series -- a sup-norm approach

In this paper we propose statistical inference tools for the covariance operators of functional time series in the two sample and change point problem. In contrast to most of the literature the focus of our approach is not testing the null hypothesis of exact equality of the covariance operators. Instead we propose to formulate the null hypotheses in them form that "the distance between the operators is small", where we measure deviations by the sup-norm. We provide powerful bootstrap tests for these type of hypotheses, investigate their asymptotic properties and study their finite sample properties by means of a simulation study.

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arXiv2020

A distribution free test for changes in the trend function of locally stationary processes

In the common time series model $X_{i,n} = μ(i/n) + \varepsilon_{i,n}$ with non-stationary errors we consider the problem of detecting a significant deviation of the mean function $μ$ from a benchmark $g (μ)$ (such as the initial value $μ(0)$ or the average trend $\int_{0}^{1} μ(t) dt$). The problem is motivated by a more realistic modelling of change point analysis, where one is interested in identifying relevant deviations in a smoothly varying sequence of means $ (μ(i/n))_{i =1,\ldots ,n }$ and cannot assume that the sequence is piecewise constant. A test for this type of hypotheses is developed using an appropriate estimator for the integrated squared deviation of the mean function and the threshold. By a new concept of self-normalization adapted to non-stationary processes an asymptotically pivotal test for the hypothesis of a relevant deviation is constructed. The results are illustrated by means of a simulation study and a data example.

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arXiv2020

Efficient tests for bio-equivalence in functional data

We study the problem of testing the equivalence of functional parameters (such as the mean or variance function) in the two sample functional data problem. In contrast to previous work, which reduces the functional problem to a multiple testing problem for the equivalence of scalar data by comparing the functions at each point, our approach is based on an estimate of a distance measuring the maximum deviation between the two functional parameters. Equivalence is claimed if the estimate for the maximum deviation does not exceed a given threshold. A bootstrap procedure is proposed to obtain quantiles for the distribution of the test statistic and consistency of the corresponding test is proved in the large sample scenario. As the methods proposed here avoid the use of the intersection-union principle they are less conservative and more powerful than the currently available methodology.

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arXiv2020

Quantifying deviations from separability in space-time functional processes

The estimation of covariance operators of spatio-temporal data is in many applications only computationally feasible under simplifying assumptions, such as separability of the covariance into strictly temporal and spatial factors.Powerful tests for this assumption have been proposed in the literature. However, as real world systems, such as climate data are notoriously inseparable, validating this assumption by statistical tests, seems inherently questionable. In this paper we present an alternative approach: By virtue of separability measures, we quantify how strongly the data's covariance operator diverges from a separable approximation. Confidence intervals localize these measures with statistical guarantees. This method provides users with a flexible tool, to weigh the computational gains of a separable model against the associated increase in bias. As separable approximations we consider the established methods of partial traces and partial products, and develop weak convergence principles for the corresponding estimators. Moreover, we also prove such results for estimators of optimal, separable approximations, which are arguably of most interest in applications. In particular we present for the first time statistical inference for this object, which has been confined to estimation previously. Besides confidence intervals, our results encompass tests for approximate separability. All methods proposed in this paper are free of nuisance parameters and do neither require computationally expensive resampling procedures nor the estimation of nuisance parameters. A simulation study underlines the advantages of our approach and its applicability is demonstrated by the investigation of German annual temperature data.

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arXiv2020

Design admissibility and de la Garza phenomenon in multi-factor experiments

The determination of an optimal design for a given regression problem is an intricate optimization problem, especially for models with multivariate predictors. Design admissibility and invariance are main tools to reduce the complexity of the optimization problem and have been successfully applied for models with univariate predictors. In particular several authors have developed sufficient conditions for the existence of saturated designs in univariate models, where the number of support points of the optimal design equals the number of parameters. These results generalize the celebrated de la Garza phenomenon (de la Garza, 1954) which states that for a polynomial regression model of degree $p-1$ any optimal design can be based on at most $p$ points. This paper provides - for the first time - extensions of these results for models with a multivariate predictor. In particular we study a geometric characterization of the support points of an optimal design to provide sufficient conditions for the occurrence of the de la Garza phenomenon in models with multivariate predictors and characterize properties of admissible designs in terms of admissibility of designs in conditional univariate regression models.

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arXiv2020

Statistical Inference for High Dimensional Panel Functional Time Series

In this paper we develop statistical inference tools for high dimensional functional time series. We introduce a new concept of physical dependent processes in the space of square integrable functions, which adopts the idea of basis decomposition of functional data in these spaces, and derive Gaussian and multiplier bootstrap approximations for sums of high dimensional functional time series. These results have numerous important statistical consequences. Exemplarily, we consider the development of joint simultaneous confidence bands for the mean functions and the construction of tests for the hypotheses that the mean functions in the spatial dimension are parallel. The results are illustrated by means of a small simulation study and in the analysis of Canadian temperature data.

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arXiv2020

Efficient model-based Bioequivalence Testing

The classical approach to analyze pharmacokinetic (PK) data in bioequivalence studies aiming to compare two different formulations is to perform noncompartmental analysis (NCA) followed by two one-sided tests (TOST). In this regard the PK parameters $AUC$ and $C_{max}$ are obtained for both treatment groups and their geometric mean ratios are considered. According to current guidelines by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Medicines Agency the formulations are declared to be sufficiently similar if the $90\%$- confidence interval for these ratios falls between $0.8$ and $1.25$. As NCA is not a reliable approach in case of sparse designs, a model-based alternative has already been proposed for the estimation of $AUC$ and $C_{max}$ using non-linear mixed effects models. Here we propose another, more powerful test than the TOST and demonstrate its superiority through a simulation study both for NCA and model-based approaches. For products with high variability on PK parameters, this method appears to have closer type I errors to the conventionally accepted significance level of $0.05$, suggesting its potential use in situations where conventional bioequivalence analysis is not applicable.

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arXiv2020

Testing relevant hypotheses in functional time series via self-normalization

In this paper we develop methodology for testing relevant hypotheses about functional time series in a tuning-free way. Instead of testing for exact equality, for example for the equality of two mean functions from two independent time series, we propose to test the null hypothesis of no relevant deviation. In the two sample problem this means that an $L^2$-distance between the two mean functions is smaller than a pre-specified threshold. For such hypotheses self-normalization, which was introduced by Shao (2010) and Shao and Zhang (2010) and is commonly used to avoid the estimation of nuisance parameters, is not directly applicable. We develop new self-normalized procedures for testing relevant hypotheses in the one sample, two sample and change point problem and investigate their asymptotic properties. Finite sample properties of the proposed tests are illustrated by means of a simulation study and data examples. Our main focus is on functional time series, but extensions to other settings are also briefly discussed.

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