Accession Number:

ADA183187

Title:

Further Studies in Estimation of Life Distribution Characteristics from Censored Data.

Descriptive Note:

Final technical rept. 1 Jun 84-31 May 87,

Corporate Author:

SOUTH CAROLINA UNIV COLUMBIA DEPT OF STATISTICS

Personal Author(s):

• Padgett,W. J.

Report Date:

1987-06-01

Pagination or Media Count:

21.0

Abstract:

The main objectives of this research have been the development of smooth nonparametric estimators of quantile functions from right-censored data and the further study of smooth density estimators from censored observations. In particular, kernel-type quantile estimators and generalized product-limit quantile estimators have been obtained under censoring which give better estimates of percentiles of the lifetime distribution than the usual product-limit quantile estimator. Asymptotic properties of these quantile estimators have been developed, including asymptotic normality and consistency. Mean square convergence for the kernel estimator was studied. In addition, a data-based procedure for selecting the bandwidth has been investigated using the bootstrap, and approximate confidence intervals for the true quantile have been proposed using bootstrap estimates of the sampling distribution. Theoretical results on the optimal bandwidth selection for kernel density estimators under random right censorship have also been obtained. Keywords Reliability Survival functions.

Descriptors:

• *DATA BASES
• *LIFE EXPECTANCY(SERVICE LIFE)
• *CENSORSHIP
• *SAMPLING
• *ESTIMATES
• *NONPARAMETRIC STATISTICS
• ASYMPTOTIC SERIES
• BANDWIDTH
• CONFIDENCE LIMITS
• CONVERGENCE
• DISTRIBUTION
• INTERVALS
• KERNEL FUNCTIONS
• LIFE SPAN(BIOLOGY)
• MEAN
• OPTIMIZATION
• RELIABILITY
• SELECTION
• SURVIVAL(GENERAL)
• ASYMPTOTIC NORMALITY

Subject Categories:

• Command, Control and Communications Systems
• Numerical Mathematics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE