In frontier analysis, most of the nonparametric approaches (DEA, FDH) are based on envelopment ideas which suppose that with probability one, all the observed units belong to the attainable set. In these "deterministic" frontier models, statistical theory is now mostly available. In the presence...

The state price density is a second derivative of the discounted European options prices with respect to the strike price. We use Maximum Likelihood method to derive a simple estimator of the curve such that it is decreasing, convex and its second derivative integrates to one. Confidence...

We consider some asymptotic distribution theory for M-estimators of the parameters of a linear model whose errors are non-negative; these estimators are the solutions of constrained optimization problems and their asymptotic theory is non-standard. Under weak conditions on the distribution of the...

This paper is concerned with the estimation and inference of nonparametric and semiparametric additive models in the presence of discrete variables and dependent observations. Among the different estimation procedures, the method introduced by Linton and Nielsen, based in marginal integration,...

For the problem of percentile estimation of a quantal response curve, we determine multi-objective designs which are robust with respect to misspecifications of the model assumptions. We propose a maximin approach based on efficiencies and provide designs that are simultaneously efficient with...

We consider the problem of uniform asymptotics in kernel functional estimation where the bandwidth can depend on the data. In a unified approach we investigate kernel estimates of the density and the hazard rate for uncensored and right-censored observations. The model allows for the fixed...

A monotone estimate of the conditional variance function in a heteroscedastic, nonpara- metric regression model is proposed. The method is based on the application of a kernel density estimate to an unconstrained estimate of the variance function and yields an esti- mate of the inverse variance...

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) have become a popular learning algorithm, in particular for large, high-dimensional classification problems. SVMs have been shown to give most accurate classification results in a variety of applications. Several methods have been proposed to obtain not only a...

Many robust statistical procedures have two drawbacks. Firstly, they are computer-intensive such that they can hardly be used for massive data sets. Secondly, robust confidence intervals for the estimated parameters or robust predictions according to the fitted models are often unknown. Here, we...

In the common Fourier regression model we determine the optimal designs for estimating the coefficients corresponding to the lower frequencies. An analytical solution is provided which is found by an alternative characterization of c-optimal designs. Several examples are provided and the...