Academic literature on the topic 'Local linear estimator'

Kernel smoothing techniques free the traditional parametric estimators of volatility from the constraints related to their specific models. In this paper the nonparametric local exponential estimator is applied to estimate conditional volatility functions, ensuring its nonnegativity. Its asymptotic properties are established and compared with those for the local linear estimator. It theoretically enables us to determine when the exponential is expected to be superior to the linear estimator. A very strong and novel result is achieved: the exponential estimator is asymptotically fully adaptive to unknown conditional mean functions. Also, our simulation study shows superior performance of the exponential estimator.

This paper studies the nonparametric regressive function with missing response data. Three local linearM-estimators with the robustness of local linear regression smoothers are presented such that they have the same asymptotic normality and consistency. Then finite-sample performance is examined via simulation studies. Simulations demonstrate that the complete-case dataM-estimator is not superior to the other two local linearM-estimators.

In this paper, we consider the nonparametric estimation of a broad class of quantile regression models, in which the partially linear, additive, and varying coefficient models are nested. We propose for the model a two-stage kernel-weighted least squares estimator by generalizing the idea of local partitioned mean regression (Christopeit and Hoderlein, 2006, Econometrica 74, 787–817) to a quantile regression framework. The proposed estimator is shown to have desirable asymptotic properties under standard regularity conditions. The new estimator has three advantages relative to existing methods. First, it is structurally simple and widely applicable to the general model as well as its submodels. Second, both the functional coefficients and their derivatives up to any given order can be estimated. Third, the procedure readily extends to censored data, including fixed or random censoring. A Monte Carlo experiment indicates that the proposed estimator performs well in finite samples. An empirical application is also provided.

Compared with the single sensor measuring, the complementary measuring with the dual sensor can solve some key problems in the vehicle self-navigation system. Two sensors’ data must be fused by the federal state estimator. Based on the Singer model, the system equation of Dead Reckoning sensor is nonlinear and the system equation of Global Positioning System sensor is linear. A two-level estimator is designed and implemented in such a way that two local estimators process the linear and nonlinear systems respectively, and the main estimator fuses the data from two local estimators, so that the optimal global state variables can be estimated. The simulation results show that the two-level estimator of dual sensor can increase the vehicle’s self-navigation precision and can be applied in urban intelligent traffic.

This article discusses the local polynomial regression estimator for and the local polynomial regression estimator for in a finite population. The performance criterion exploited in this study focuses on the efficiency of the finite population total estimators. Further, the discussion explores analytical comparisons between the two estimators with respect to asymptotic relative efficiency. In particular, asymptotic properties of the local polynomial regression estimator of finite population total for are derived in a model based framework. The results of the local polynomial regression estimator for are compared with those of the local polynomial regression estimator for studied by Kikechi et al (2018). Variance comparisons are made using the local polynomial regression estimator for and the local polynomial regression estimator for which indicate that the estimators are asymptotically equivalently efficient. Simulation experiments carried out show that the local polynomial regression estimator outperforms the local polynomial regression estimator in the linear, quadratic and bump populations.

Kernel smoothers belong to the most popular nonparametric functional estimates. They provide a simple way of finding structure in data. The idea of the kernel smoothing can be applied to a simple fixed design regression model. This article is focused on kernel smoothing for fixed design regresion model with three types of estimators, the Gasser-Müller estimator, the Nadaraya-Watson estimator and the local linear estimator. At the end of this article figures for ilustration of desribed estimators on simulated and real data sets are shown.

Local linear fitting is a popular nonparametric method in statistical and econometric modeling. Lu and Linton (2007, Econometric Theory23, 37–70) established the pointwise asymptotic distribution for the local linear estimator of a nonparametric regression function under the condition of near epoch dependence. In this paper, we further investigate the uniform consistency of this estimator. The uniform strong and weak consistencies with convergence rates for the local linear fitting are established under mild conditions. Furthermore, general results regarding uniform convergence rates for nonparametric kernel-based estimators are provided. The results of this paper will be of wide potential interest in time series semiparametric modeling.

The use of data networks in control loops has received much attention recently due to its flexibility and economical advantages. In addition, mutual network usage has raised new challenges such as delay and data loss. This paper aims to reduce undesired effects of network by reducing the required traffic of the network. An estimation framework for network control system is introduced, in which estimations of local Kalman filter is sent to remote estimator based on the logic decided by a novel fuzzy communication logic. In order to do so, there exist two estimators, a remote estimator which estimates the states of the plant and its local copy that gives the same output. The output of the local estimator is compared with the real states of the system, if the states of the system are estimated with small error, there is no need to send data, hence, the probability of sending data is decreased using a fuzzy decision system. In order to optimize this fuzzy system, a particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is used. The proposed method is applied to control a pair of overhead crane systems with non-linear dynamics. Since the two overhead cranes need to work synchronously and their synchronization is performed over a network, the control of this system lies within the scope of the proposed controller. Simulation results show that the communication load is reduced and the purposed fuzzy communication logic is able to control the non-linear dynamical systems over a network with a sufficient performance.

In a nonparametric setting, the functional form of the relationship between the response variable and the associated predictor variables is unspecified; however it is assumed to be a smooth function. The main aim of nonparametric regression is to highlight an important structure in data without any assumptions about the shape of an underlying regression function. In regression, the random and fixed design models should be distinguished. Among the variety of nonparametric regression estimators currently in use, kernel type estimators are most popular. Kernel type estimators provide a flexible class of nonparametric procedures by estimating unknown function as a weighted average using a kernel function. The bandwidth which determines the influence of the kernel has to be adapted to any kernel type estimator. Our focus is on Nadaraya-Watson estimator and Local Linear estimator which belong to a class of kernel type regression estimators called local polynomial kerne l estimators. A closely related problem is the determination of an appropriate sample size that would be required to achieve a desired confidence level of accuracy for the nonparametric regression estimators. Since sequential procedures allow an experimenter to make decisions based on the smallest number of observations without compromising accuracy, application of sequential procedures to a nonparametric regression model at a given point or series of points is considered. The motivation for using such procedures is: in many applications the quality of estimating an underlying regression function in a controlled experiment is paramount; thus, it is reasonable to invoke a sequential procedure of estimation that chooses a sample size based on recorded observations that guarantees a preassigned accuracy. We have employed sequential techniques to develop a procedure for constructing a fixed-width confidence interval for the predicted value at a specific point of the independent variable. These fixed-width confidence intervals are developed using asymptotic properties of both Nadaraya-Watson and local linear kernel estimators of nonparametric kernel regression with data-driven bandwidths and studied for both fixed and random design contexts. The sample sizes for a preset confidence coefficient are optimized using sequential procedures, namely two-stage procedure, modified two-stage procedure and purely sequential procedure. The proposed methodology is first tested by employing a large-scale simulation study. The performance of each kernel estimation method is assessed by comparing their coverage accuracy with corresponding preset confidence coefficients, proximity of computed sample sizes match up to optimal sample sizes and contrasting the estimated values obtained from the two nonparametric methods with act ual values at given series of design points of interest. We also employed the symmetric bootstrap method which is considered as an alternative method of estimating properties of unknown distributions. Resampling is done from a suitably estimated residual distribution and utilizes the percentiles of the approximate distribution to construct confidence intervals for the curve at a set of given design points. A methodology is developed for determining whether it is advantageous to use the symmetric bootstrap method to reduce the extent of oversampling that is normally known to plague Stein's two-stage sequential procedure. The procedure developed is validated using an extensive simulation study and we also explore the asymptotic properties of the relevant estimators. Finally, application of our proposed sequential nonparametric kernel regression methods are made to some problems in software reliability and finance.

Uma das principais preocupações da macroeconomia é a compreensão da dinâmica da inflação no curto prazo. Entender como a inflação se relaciona com a atividade econômica é decisivo para traçar estratégias de desinflação, assim como, de determinação da trajetória de política monetária. Uma questão que surge é qual a forma exata da relação inflação-produto. Ou seja, podemos caracterizar essa relação como não linear? Se sim, qual a forma dessa não linearidade? Para responder a essas perguntas, estimou-se a relação inflação-produto de forma não-paramétrica através de um local linear kernel estimator. O resultado da estimação gerou uma forma funcional a qual foi aproximada pela estimação, via GMM, de uma curva de Phillips Novo-Keynesiana Híbrida. Essa abordagem foi aplicada para o Brasil a partir de 2000. As estimações sugeriram que a dinâmica da inflação brasileira é melhor descrita quando adiciona-se um termo cúbico relativo ao hiato do produto, ou seja, a inflação brasileira mostrou-se state-dependent.
One of the most important macroeconomics’ concerns is the comprehension about sort-run inflation dynamic. To understand how inflation relates to economic activity is crucial to decision-making in disinflation strategies, as well as in monetary policy paths. A question that arises is what does real form of relation inflation-output trade-off? Could one characterize it as a non-linear relation? If does, what is the shape of this non-linear relation? To answer those questions, we estimate the inflation-output relation non-parametrically using a local linear kernel estimator. The functional form achieved was approximated by a New-Keynesian Hybrid Phillips Curve, which one was estimated by GMM. This approach was applied to Brazil since 2000. We have found evidence that Brazilian inflation dynamic is better described adding a cubic term related to output gap, in other words, the Brazilian inflation is state-dependent.

This thesis consists of four papers that are related to commonly used propensity score-based estimators for average causal effects. The first paper starts with the observation that researchers often have access to data containing lots of covariates that are correlated. We therefore study the effect of correlation on the asymptotic variance of an inverse probability weighting and a matching estimator. Under the assumptions of normally distributed covariates, constant causal effect, and potential outcomes and a logit that are linear in the parameters we show that the correlation influences the asymptotic efficiency of the estimators differently, both with regard to direction and magnitude. Further, the strength of the confounding towards the outcome and the treatment plays an important role. The second paper extends the first paper in that the estimators are studied under the more realistic setting of using the estimated propensity score. We also relax several assumptions made in the first paper, and include the doubly robust estimator. Again, the results show that the correlation may increase or decrease the variances of the estimators, but we also observe that several aspects influence how correlation affects the variance of the estimators, such as the choice of estimator, the strength of the confounding towards the outcome and the treatment, and whether constant or non-constant causal effect is present. The third paper concerns estimation of the asymptotic variance of a propensity score matching estimator. Simulations show that large gains can be made for the mean squared error by properly selecting smoothing parameters of the variance estimator and that a residual-based local linear estimator may be a more efficient estimator for the asymptotic variance. The specification of the variance estimator is shown to be crucial when evaluating the effect of right heart catheterisation, i.e. we show either a negative effect on survival or no significant effect depending on the choice of smoothing parameters.   In the fourth paper, we provide an analytic expression for the covariance matrix of logistic regression with normally distributed regressors. This paper is related to the other papers in that logistic regression is commonly used to estimate the propensity score.

Local polynomial regression has received a great deal of attention in the past. It is a highly adaptable regression method when the true response model is not known. However, estimates obtained in this way are not guaranteed to be monotone. In some situations the response is known to depend monotonically upon some variables. Various methods have been suggested for constraining nonparametric local polynomial regression to be monotone. The earliest of these is known as the Pool Adjacent Violators algorithm (PAVA) and was first suggested by Brunk (1958). Kappenman (1987) suggested that a non-parametric estimate could be made monotone by simply increasing the bandwidth used until the estimate was monotone. Dette et al. (2006) have suggested a monotonicity constraint which they call the DNP method. Their method involves calculating a density estimate of the unconstrained regression estimate, and using this to calculate an estimate of the inverse of the regression function. Fan, Heckman and Wand (1995) generalized local polynomial regression to quasi-likelihood based settings. Obviously such estimates are not guaranteed to be monotone, whilst in many practical situations monotonicity of response is required. In this thesis I discuss how the above mentioned monotonicity constraint methods can be adapted to the quasi-likelihood setting. I am particularly interested in the estimation of monotone psychometric functions and, more generally, biological transducer functions, for which the response is often known to follow a distribution which belongs to the exponential family. I consider some of the key theoretical properties of the monotonised local linear estimators in the quasi-likelihood setting. I establish asymptotic expressions for the bias and variance for my adaptation of the DNP method (called the LDNP method) and show that this estimate is asymptotically normally distributed and first{-}order equivalent to competing methods. I demonstrate that this adaptation overcomes some of the problems with using the DNP method in likelihood based settings. I also investigate the choice of second bandwidth for use in the density estimation step. I compare the LDNP method, the PAVA method and the bandwidth method by means of a simulation study. I investigate a variety of response models, including binary, Poisson and exponential. In each study I calculate monotone estimates of the response curve using each method and compare their bias, variance, MSE and MISE. I also apply these methods to analysis of data from various hearing and vision studies. I show some of the deficiencies of using local polynomial estimates, as opposed to local likelihood estimates.

Adaptive filters are frequently employed in many applications, such as, system identification, adaptive echo cancellation (AEC), active noise control (ANC), adaptive beamforming, speech signal processing and other related problems, in which the statistic of the underlying signals is either unknown a priori, or slowly-varying. Given the observed signals under study, we shall consider, in this dissertation, the time-varying linear model with Gaussian or contaminated Gaussian (CG) noises. In particular, we focus on recursive local estimation and its applications in linear systems. We base our development on the concept of local likelihood function (LLF) and local posterior probability for parameter estimation, which lead to efficient adaptive filtering algorithms. We also study the convergence performance of these algorithms and their applications by theoretical analyses. As for applications, another important one is to utilize adaptive filters to obtain recursive hypothesis testing and model order selection methods. It is known that the maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) may lead to large variance or ill-conditioning problems when the number of observations is limited. An effective approach to address these problems is to employ various form of regularization in order to reduce the variance at the expense of slightly increased bias. In general, this can be viewed as adopting the Bayesian estimation, where the regularization can be viewed as providing a certain prior density of the parameters to be estimated. By adopting different prior densities in the LLF, we derive the variable regularized QR decomposition-based recursive least squares (VR-QRRLS) and recursive least M-estimate (VR-QRRLM) algorithms. An improved state-regularized variable forgetting factor QRRLS (SR-VFF-QRRLS) algorithm is also proposed. By approximating the covariance matrix in the RLS, new variable regularized and variable step-size transform domain normalized least mean square (VR-TDNLMS and VSS-TDNLMS) algorithms are proposed. Convergence behaviors of these algorithms are studied to characterize their performance and provide useful guidelines for selecting appropriate parameters in practical applications. Based on the local Bayesian estimation framework for linear model parameters developed previously, the resulting estimate can be utilized for recursive nonstationarity detection. This can be cast under the problem of hypothesis testing, as the hypotheses can be viewed as two competitive models between stationary and nonstationary to be selected. In this dissertation, we develop new regularized and recursive generalized likelihood ratio test (GLRT), Rao’s and Wald tests, which can be implemented recursively in a QRRLS-type adaptive filtering algorithm with low computational complexity. Another issue to be addressed in nonstationarity detection is the selection of various models or model orders. In particular, we derive a recursive method for model order selection from the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) based on recursive local estimation. In general, the algorithms proposed in this dissertation have addressed some of the important problems in estimation and detection under the local and recursive Bayesian estimation framework. They are intrinsically connected together and can potentially be utilized for various applications. In this dissertation, their applications to adaptive beamforming, ANC system and speech signal processing, e.g. adaptive frequency estimation and nonstationarity detection, have been studied. For adaptive beamforming, the difficulties in determining the regularization or loading factor have been explored by automatically selecting the regularization parameter. For ANC systems, to combat uncertainties in the secondary path estimation, regularization techniques can be employed. Consequently, a new filtered-x VR-QRRLM (Fx-VR-QRRLM) algorithm is proposed and the theoretical analysis helps to address challenging problems in the design of ANC systems. On the other hand, for ANC systems with online secondary-path modeling, the coupling effect of the ANC controller and the secondary path estimator is thoroughly studied by analyzing the Fx-LMS algorithm. For speech signal processing, new approaches for recursive nonstationarity detection with automatic model order selection are proposed, which provides online time-varying autoregressive (TVAR) parameter estimation and the corresponding stationary intervals with low complexity.
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Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Doctoral
Doctor of Philosophy

L'objectif de cette thèse est d'étudier le problème de la détection de données dans le système de communication sans fil, à la fois pour le cas de l'information d'état de canal parfaite et imparfaite au niveau du récepteur. Comme on le sait, la complexité de MLSE est exponentielle en la mémoire de canal et la cardinalité de l'alphabet symbole est rapidement ingérable, ce qui force à recourir à des approches sousoptimales. Par conséquent, en premier lieu, nous proposons une nouvelle égalisation itérative lorsque le canal est inconnu à l'émetteur et parfaitement connu au niveau du récepteur. Ce récepteur est basé sur une approche de continuation, et exploite l'idée d'approcher une fonction originale de coût d'optimisation par une suite de fonctions plus dociles et donc de réduire la complexité de calcul au récepteur.En second lieu, en vue de la détection de données sous un canal dynamique linéaire, lorsque le canal est inconnu au niveau du récepteur, le récepteur doit être en mesure d'effectuer conjointement l'égalisation et l'estimation de canal. De cette manière, on formule une représentation de modèle état-espace combiné du système de communication. Par cette représentation, nous pouvons utiliser le filltre de Kalman comme le meilleur estimateur des paramètres du canal. Le but de cette section est de motiver de façon rigoureuse la mise en place du filltre de Kalman dans l'estimation des sequences de Markov par des canaux dynamiques Gaussien. Par la présente, nous interprétons et explicitons les approximations sous-jacentes dans les approaches heuristiques.Enfin, si nous considérons une approche plus générale pour le canal dynamique non linéaire, nous ne pouvons pas utiliser le filtre de Kalman comme le meilleur estimateur. Ici, nous utilisons des modèles commutation d’espace-état (SSSM) comme modèles espace-état non linéaires. Ce modèle combine le modèle de Markov caché (HMM) et le modèle espace-état linéaire (LSSM). Pour l'estimation de canal et la detection de données, l'approche espérance et maximisation (EM) est utilisée comme approche naturelle. De cette façon, le filtre de Kalman étendu (EKF) et les filtres à particules sont évités
The aim of this thesis is to study the problem of data detection in wireless communication system, for both case of perfect and imperfect channel state information at the receiver. As well known, the complexity of MLSE being exponential in the channel memory and in the symbol alphabet cardinality is quickly unmanageable and forces to resort to sub-optimal approaches. Therefore, first we propose a new iterative equalizer when the channel is unknown at the transmitter and perfectly known at the receiver. This receiver is based on continuation approach, and exploits the idea of approaching an original optimization cost function by a sequence of more tractable functions and thus reduce the receiver's computational complexity. Second, in order to data detection under linear dynamic channel, when the channel is unknown at the receiver, the receiver must be able to perform joint equalization and channel estimation. In this way, we formulate a combined state-space model representation of the communication system. By this representation, we can use the Kalman filter as the best estimator for the channel parameters. The aim in this section is to motivate rigorously the introduction of the Kalman filter in the estimation of Markov sequences through Gaussian dynamical channels. By this we interpret and make clearer the underlying approximations in the heuristic approaches. Finally, if we consider more general approach for non linear dynamic channel, we can not use the Kalman filter as the best estimator. Here, we use switching state-space model (SSSM) as non linear state-space model. This model combines the hidden Markov model (HMM) and linear state-space model (LSSM). In order to channel estimation and data detection, the expectation and maximization (EM) procedure is used as the natural approach. In this way extended Kalman filter (EKF) and particle filters are avoided

The sequential estimation of the states (filtering) and the corresponding simultaneous estimation of the states and fixed parameters of a dynamic state-space model, being linear or not, is an important probleminmany fields of research, such as in the area of finance. The main objective of this research is to estimate sequ entially and efficiently –from a Bayesian perspective via the particle filtering methodology– the states and/or the fixed parameters of a nonstandard dynamic state-spacemodel: one that is possibly nonlinear, non-stationary or non-Gaussian. The present thesis consists of seven chapters and is structured into two parts. Chapter 1 introduces basic concepts, themotivation, the purpose, and the outline of the thesis. Chapters 2-4, the first part of the thesis, focus on the estimation of the states. Chapter 2 provides a comprehensive review of themost classic algorithms (non-simulation based: KF, EKF, and UKF; and simulation based: SIS, SIR, ASIR, EPF, and UPF1) used for filtering solely the states of a dynamic statespacemodel. All these filters scattered in the literature are not only described in detail, but also placed in a unified notation for the sake of consistency, readability and comparability. Chapters 3 and 4 confirm the efficiency of the well-established particle filtering methodology, via extensive Monte Carlo (MC) studies, when estimating only the latent states for a dynamic state-space model, being linear or not. Also, complementary MC studies are conducted to analyze some relevant issues within the adopted approach, such as the degeneracy problem, the resampling strategy, or the possible impact on estimation of the number of particles used and the time series length. Chapter 3 specifically illustrates the performance of the particle filtering methodology in a linear and Gaussian context, using the exact Kalman filter as a benchmark. The performance of the four studied particle filter variants (SIR, SIRopt, ASIR, KPF, the latter being a special case of the EPF algorithm) is assessed using two apparently simple, but important time series processes: the so-called Local Level Model (LLM) and the AR(1) plus noise model, which are non-stationary and stationary, respectively. An exhaustive study on the effect of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) over the quality of the estimation is additionally performed. ComplementaryMC studies are conducted to assess the degree of degeneracy and the possible effect of increasing the number of particles and the time series length. Chapter 4 assesses and illustrates the performance of the particle filtering methodology in a nonlinear context. Specifically, a synthetic nonlinear, non Gaussian and non-stationary state space model taken from literature is used to illustrate the performance of the four competing particle filters under study (SIR, ASIR, EPF, UPF) in contraposition to two well-known non-simulation based filters (EKF, UKF). In this chapter, the residual and stratified resampling schemes are compared and the effect of increasing the number of particles is addressed. In the second part (Chapters 5 and 6), extensive MC studies are carried out, but the main goal is the simultaneous estimation of states and fixed model parameters for chosen non-standard dynamic models. This area of research is still very active and it is within this area where this thesis contributes themost. Chapter 5 provides a partial survey of particle filter variants used to conduct the simultaneous estimation of states and fixed parameters. Such filters are an extension of those previously adopted for estimating solely the states. Additionally, a MC study is carried out to estimate the state (level) and the two fixed variance parameters of the non-stationary local level model; we use four particle filter variants (LW, SIRJ, SIRoptJ, KPFJ), six typical settings of the SNR and two settings for the discount factor needed in the jittering step. In this chapter, the SIRJ particle filter variant is proposed as an alternative to the well-established filter of Liu West (LW PF). The combined use of a Kalman-based proposal distribution and a jittering step is proposed and explored, which gives rise to the particle filter variant called: the Kalman Particle Filter plus Jittering (KPFJ). Chapter 6 focuses on estimating the states and three fixed parameters of the non-standard basic stochastic volatility model known as stochastic autoregressive volatility model of order one: SARV(1). After an introduction and detailed description of the stylized features of financial time series, the estimation ability of two competing particle filter variants (SIRJ vs LW(Liu andWest)) is shown empirically using simulated data. The chapter ends with an application to real data sets from the financial area: the Spanish IBEX 35 returns index and the Europe Brent Spot prices (in dollars). The contribution in chapters 5 and 6 is to propose new variants of particle filters, such as the KPFJ, the SIRJ, and the SIRoptJ (a special case of the SIRJ that uses an optimal proposal distribution) that have developed along this work. The thesis also suggests that the so-called EPFJ (Extended Particle Filter with Jittering) and the UPFJ (Unscented Particle Filter with Jittering) algorithms could be reasonable choices when dealingwith highly nonlinearmodels. In this part, also relevant issueswithin the particle filteringmethodology are discussed, such as the potential impact on estimation of the discount factor parameter, the time series length, and the number of particles used. Throughout this work, pseudo-codes are written for all filters studied and are implemented in RLanguage. The reported findings are obtained as the result of extensive MC studies, considering a variety of case-scenarios described in the thesis. The intrinsic characteristics of the model at hand guided -according to suitability– the choice of filters in each specific situation. The comparison of filters is based on the RMSE, the elapsed CPU-time and the degree of degeneracy. Finally, Chapter 7 includes the discussion, contributions, and future lines of research. Some complementary theoretical and practical aspects are presented in the appendix.
L’estimació seqüencial dels estats (filtratge) i la corresponent estimació simultània dels estats i els paràmetres fixos d’unmodel dinàmic formulat en forma d’espai d’estat –sigui lineal o no– constitueix un problema de rellevada importància enmolts camps, com ser a l’àrea de finances. L’objectiu principal d’aquesta tesi és el d’estimar seqüencialment i de manera eficient –des d’un punt de vista bayesià i usant lametodologia de filtratge de partícules– els estats i/o els paràmetres fixos d’unmodel d’espai d’estat dinàmic no estàndard: possiblement no lineal, no gaussià o no estacionari. El present treball consisteix de 7 capítols i s’organitza en dues parts. El Capítol 1 hi introdueix conceptes bàsics, lamotivació, el propòsit i l’estructura de la tesi. La primera part d’aquesta tesi (capítols 2 a 4) se centra únicament en l’estimació dels estats. El Capítol 2 presenta una revisió exhaustiva dels algorismes més clàssics no basats en simulacions (KF, EKF, UKF2) i els basats en simulacions (SIS, SIR, ASIR, EPF, UPF). Per a aquests filtres, tots esmentats en la literatura, amés de descriure’ls detalladament, s’ha unificat la notació amb l’objectiu que aquesta sigui consistent i comparable entre els diferents algorismes implementats al llarg d’aquest treball. Els capítols 3 i 4 se centren en la realització d’estudis Monte Carlo (MC) extensos que confirmen l’eficiència de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules per estimar els estats latents d’un procés dinàmic formulat en forma d’espai d’estat, sigui lineal o no. Alguns estudis MC complementaris es duen a terme per avaluar diferents aspectes de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules, com ser el problema de la degeneració, l’elecció de l’estratègia de remostreig, el nombre de partícules usades o la grandària de la sèrie temporal. Específicament, el Capítol 3 il·lustra el comportament de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules en un context lineal i gaussià en comparació de l’òptim i exacte filtre de Kalman. La capacitat de filtratge de les quatre variants de filtre de partícules estudiades (SIR, SIRopt, ASIR, KPF; l’últim sent un cas especial de l’algorisme EPF) es va avaluar sobre la base de dos processos de sèries temporals aparentment simples però importants: els anomenats Local Level Model (LLM) i el AR (1) plus noise, que són no estacionari i estacionari, respectivament. Aquest capítol estudia en profunditat temes rellevants dins de l’enfocament adoptat, coml’impacte en l’estimació de la relació entre el senyal i el soroll (SNR: signal-to-noise-ratio, en aquesta tesi), de la longitud de la sèrie temporal i del nombre de partícules. El Capítol 4 avalua i il·lustra el comportament de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules en un context no lineal. En concret, s’utilitza un model d’espai d’estat no lineal, no gaussià i no estacionari pres de la literatura per il·lustrar el comportament de quatre filtres de partícules (SIR, ASIR, EPF, UPF) en contraposició a dos filtres no basats en simulació ben coneguts (EKF, UKF). Aquí es comparen els esquemes de remostreig residual i estratificat i s’avalua l’efecte d’augmentar el nombre de partícules. A la segona part (capítols 5 i 6), es duen a terme també estudis MC extensos, però ara l’objectiu principal és l’estimació simultània dels estats i paràmetres fixos de certsmodels seleccionats. Aquesta àrea de recerca segueix sentmolt activa i és on aquesta tesi hi contribueixmés. El Capítol 5 proveeix una revisió parcial dels mètodes per dur a terme l’estimació simultània dels estats i paràmetres fixos a través de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules. Aquests filtres són una extensió d’aquells adoptats anteriorment només per estimar els estats. Aquí es realitza un estudi MC per estimar l’estat (nivell) i els dos paràmetres de variància del model LLM no estacionari; s’utilitzen quatre variants (LW, SIRJ, SIRoptJ, KPFJ) de filtre de partícules, sis escenaris típics del SNR i dos escenaris per a l’anomenat factor de descompte necessari en el pas de diversificació. En aquest capítol, es proposa la variant de filtre de partícules SIRJ (Sample Importance Resampling with Jittering) com a alternativa al filtre de referència de Liu iWest (LWPF). També es proposa i explora l’ús combinat d’una distribució d’importància basada en el filtre de Kalman i un pas de diversificació (jittering) que dóna lloc a la variant del filtre de partícules anomenada Kalman Particle Filteringwith Jittering (KPFJ). El Capítol 6 se centra en l’estimació dels estats i dels paràmetres fixos delmodel bàsic no estàndard de volatilitat estocàstica denominat Stochastic autoregressive model of order one: SARV (1). Després d’una introducció i descripció detallada de les característiques pròpies de sèries temporals financeres, es demostra mitjançant estudis MC la capacitat d’estimació de dues variants de filtre de partícules (SIRJ vs. LW(Liu iWest)) utilitzant dades simulades. El capítol acaba amb una aplicació a dos conjunts de dades reals dins de l’àrea financera: l’índex de rendiments espanyol IBEX 35 i els preus al comptat (en dòlars) del Brent europeu. La contribució en els capítols 5 i 6 consisteix en proposar noves variants de filtres de partícules, compoden ser el KPFJ, el SIRJ i el SIRoptJ (un cas especial de l’algorisme SIRJ utilitzant una distribució d’importància òptima) que s’han desenvolupat al llarg d’aquest treball. També se suggereix que els anomenats filtres de partícules EPFJ (Extended Particle Filter with Jittering) i UPFJ (Unscented Particle Filter with Jittering) podrien ser opcions raonables quan es tracta de models altament no lineals; el KPFJ sent un cas especial de l’algorisme EPFJ. En aquesta part, també es tracten aspectes rellevants dins de la metodologia de filtratge de partícules, com ser l’impacte potencial en l’estimació de la longitud de la sèrie temporal, el paràmetre de factor de descompte i el nombre de partícules. Al llarg d’aquest treball s’han escrit (i implementat en el llenguatge R) els pseudo-codis per a tots els filtres estudiats. Els resultats presentats s’obtenenmitjançant simulacionsMonte Carlo (MC) extenses, tenint en compte variats escenaris descrits en la tesi. Les característiques intrínseques del model baix estudi van guiar l’elecció dels filtres a comparar en cada situació específica. Amés, la comparació dels filtres es basa en el RMSE (RootMean Square Error), el temps de CPU i el grau de degeneració. Finalment, el Capítol 7 presenta la discussió, les contribucions i les línies futures de recerca. Alguns aspectes teòrics i pràctics complementaris es presenten en els apèndixs.
La estimación secuencial de los estados (filtrado) y la correspondiente estimación simultánea de los estados y los parámetros fijos de un modelo dinámico formulado en forma de espacio de estado –sea lineal o no– constituye un problema de relevada importancia enmuchos campos, como ser en el área de finanzas. El objetivo principal de esta tesis es el de estimar secuencialmente y de manera eficiente –desde un punto de vista bayesiano y usando la metodología de filtrado de partículas– los estados y/o los parámetros fijos de un modelo de espacio de estado dinámico no estándar: posiblemente no lineal, no gaussiano o no estacionario. El presente trabajo consta de 7 capítulos y se organiza en dos partes. El Capítulo 1 introduce conceptos básicos, la motivación, el propósito y la estructura de la tesis. La primera parte de esta tesis (capítulos 2 a 4) se centra únicamente en la estimación de los estados. El Capítulo 2 presenta una revisión exhaustiva de los algoritmos más clásicos no basados en simulaciones (KF, EKF,UKF3) y los basados en simulaciones (SIS, SIR, ASIR, EPF, UPF). Para todos estos filtros, mencionados en la literatura, además de describirlos en detalle, se ha unificado la notación con el objetivo de que ésta sea consistente y comparable entre los diferentes algoritmos implementados a lo largo de este trabajo. Los capítulos 3 y 4 se centran en la realización de estudios Monte Carlo (MC) extensos que confirman la eficiencia de la metodología de filtrado de partículas para estimar los estados latentes de un proceso dinámico formulado en forma de espacio de estado, sea lineal o no. Algunos estudios MC complementarios se llevan a cabo para evaluar varios aspectos de la metodología de filtrado de partículas, como ser el problema de la degeneración, la elección de la estrategia de remuestreo, el número de partículas usadas o el tamaño de la serie temporal. Específicamente, el Capítulo 3 ilustra el comportamiento de lametodología de filtrado de partículas en un contexto lineal y gaussiano en comparación con el óptimo y exacto filtro de Kalman. La capacidad de filtrado de las cuatro variantes de filtro de partículas estudiadas (SIR, SIRopt, ASIR, KPF; el último siendo un caso especial del algoritmo EPF) se evaluó en base a dos procesos de series temporales aparentemente simples pero importantes: los denominados Local Level Model (LLM) y el AR (1) plus noise, que son no estacionario y estacionario, respectivamente. Este capítulo estudia en profundidad temas relevantes dentro del enfoque adoptado, como el impacto en la estimación de la relación entre la señal y el ruido (SNR: signal-to-noise-ratio, en esta tesis), de la longitud de la serie temporal y del número de partículas. El Capítulo 4 evalúa e ilustra el comportamiento de la metodología de filtrado de partículas en un contexto no lineal. En concreto, se utiliza un modelo de espacio de estado no lineal, no gaussiano y no estacionario tomado de la literatura para ilustrar el comportamiento de cuatro filtros de partículas (SIR, ASIR, EPF, UPF) en contraposición a dos filtros no basados en simulación bien conocidos (EKF, UKF). Aquí se comparan los esquemas de remuestreo residual y estratificado y se evalúa el efecto de aumentar el número de partículas. En la segunda parte (capítulos 5 y 6), se llevan a cabo también estudios MC extensos, pero ahora el objetivo principal es la estimación simultánea de los estados y parámetros fijos de ciertos modelos seleccionados. Esta área de investigación sigue siendo muy activa y es donde esta tesis contribuye más. El Capítulo 5 provee una revisión parcial de losmétodos para llevar a cabo la estimación simultánea de los estados y parámetros fijos a través de lametodología de filtrado de partículas. Dichos filtros son una extensión de aquellos adoptados anteriormente sólo para estimar los estados. Aquí se realiza un estudio MC para estimar el estado (nivel) y los dos parámetros de varianza del modelo LLM no estacionario; se utilizan cuatro variantes (LW, SIRJ, SIRoptJ, KPFJ) de filtro de partículas, seis escenarios típicos del SNR y dos escenarios para el llamado factor de descuento necesario en el paso de diversificación. En este capítulo, se propone la variante de filtro de partículas SIRJ (Sample Importance resampling with Jittering) como alternativa al filtro de referencia de Liu y West (LW PF). También se propone y explora el uso combinado de una distribución de importancia basada en el filtro de Kalman y un paso de diversificación (jittering) que da lugar a la variante del filtro de partículas denominada Kalman Particle Filteringwith Jittering (KPFJ). El Capítulo 6 se centra en la estimación de los estados y de los parámetros fijos del modelo básico no estándar de volatilidad estocástica denominado Stochastic autoregressivemodel of order one: SARV (1). Después de una introducción y descripción detallada de las características propias de series temporales financieras, se demuestra mediante estudios MC la capacidad de estimación de dos variantes de filtro de partículas (SIRJ vs. LW (Liu y West)) utilizando datos simulados. El capítulo termina con una aplicación a dos conjuntos de datos reales dentro del área financiera: el índice de rendimientos español IBEX 35 y los precios al contado (en dólares) del Brent europeo. La contribución en los capítulos 5 y 6 consiste en proponer nuevas variantes de filtros de partículas, como pueden ser el KPFJ, el SIRJ y el SIRoptJ (Caso especial del algoritmo SIRJ utilizando una distribución de importancia óptima) que se han desarrollado a lo largo de este trabajo. También se sugiere que los llamados filtros de partículas EPFJ (Extended Particle Filter with Jittering) y UPFJ (Unscented Particle Filter with Jittering) podrían ser opciones razonables cuando se trata de modelos altamente no lineales; el KPFJ siendo un caso especial del algoritmo EPFJ. En esta parte, también se tratan aspectos relevantes dentro de lametodología de filtrado de partículas, como ser el impacto potencial en la estimación de la longitud de la serie temporal, el parámetro de factor de descuento y el número de partículas. A lo largo de este trabajo se han escrito (e implementado en el lenguaje R) los pseudo-códigos para todos los filtros estudiados. Los resultados presentados se obtienen mediante simulaciones Monte Carlo (MC) extensas, teniendo en cuenta variados escenarios descritos en la tesis. Las características intrínsecas del modelo bajo estudio guiaron la elección de los filtros a comparar en cada situación específica. Además, la comparación de los filtros se basa en el RMSE (Root Mean Square Error), el tiempo de CPU y el grado de degeneración. Finalmente, el Capítulo 7 presenta la discusión, las contribuciones y las líneas futuras de investigación. Algunos aspectos teóricos y prácticos complementarios se presentan en los apéndices.

Nous nous intéressons dans cette thèse à l'estimation, dans un cadre non paramétrique, d'unis fonction de régression présentant des discontinuités et, plus précisément aux problèmes de dé tection de ruptures, d'estimation des paramètres de rupture (nombre, localisations, ainplitudesj et de segmentation de la fonction de régression (reconstitution de la fonction). La méthode utilisée est basée sur les propriétés du processsus de saut estimé, y(t), défini en tout i comme lt. Différence entre un estimateur à droite et un estimateur à gauche, ces estimateurs étant obtenus régression linéaire locale. - Dans un premier temps, nous considérons la situation d'une seule discontinuité et étudions les propriétés de l'estimateur de l'amplitude de la discontinuité lorsque la localisation est connue. Nous donnons l'expression de l'erreur quadratique moyenne asymptotique et montrons la convergence et la normalité asymptotique de l'estimateur. Lorsque la localisation r n'est pas connue, nous construisons un estimateur de r à l'aide du processus de déviation locale associé à 7(t) et montrons que cet estimateur converge avec une vitesse en n,-r ou arbitrairement proche de r-r selon le noyau utilisé. Nous proposons ensuite trois tests d'existence d'une rupture : un test strictement local, un test local et un test global, tous trois définis en terme d'une statistique construite à (aide du processus de saut estimé. Concernant le problème d'estimation du nombre de ruptures nous élaborons une procédure permettant à la fois d'estimer le nombre y de ruptures et les localisations rr. . . . Ry. Nous montrons la convergence presque sûre de ces estimateurs et donnons aussi des résultats sur les vitesses de convergence. Enfin nous proposons une méthode de reconstitution d'une fonction de régression présentant des discontinuités basée sur la segmentation des observations. Nous montrons qu'en utilisant la procédure d'estimation du nombre de ruptures et des localisations développée auparavant, nous obtenons un estimateur de la fonction de régression qui a la même vitesse de convergence qu'en (absence de ruptures. Des expérimentations numériques sont fournies pour chacun des problèmes étudiés de manière à mettre en évidence les propriétés des procédures étudiées et leur sensibilité aux divers paramètres

Dans cette thèse, nous nous intéressons à développer des méthodes robustes et efficaces dans l’estimation non paramétrique de la fonction de régression. Le modèle considéré ici est le modèle censuré aléatoirement à droite qui est le plus utilisé dans différents domaines pratiques. Dans un premier temps, nous proposons un nouvel estimateur de la fonction de régression en utilisant la méthode linéaire locale. Nous étudions sa convergence uniforme presque sûre avec vitesse. Enfin, nous comparons ses performances avec celles de l’estimateur de la régression à noyau classique à l’aide de simulations. Dans un second temps, nous considérons l’estimateur de la fonction de régression par erreur relative (RER en anglais), basé sur la minimisation de l’erreur quadratique relative moyenne. Ainsi, nous établissons la convergence uniforme presque sûre (sur un compact) avec vitesse de l’estimateur défini pour des observations indépendantes et identiquement distribuées. En outre, nous prouvons sa normalité asymptotique en explicitant le terme de variance. Enfin, nous conduisons une étude de simulations pour confirmer nos résultats théoriques et nous appliquons notre estimateur sur des données réelles. Par la suite, nous étudions la convergence uniforme presque sûre (sur un compact) avec vitesse de l’estimateur RER pour des observations soumises à une structure de dépendance du type α-mélange. Une étude de simulation montre le bon comportement de l’estimateur étudié. Des prévisions sur données générées sont réalisées pour illustrer la robustesse de notre estimateur. Enfin, nous établissons la normalité asymptotique de l’estimateur RER pour des observations α-mélangeantes où nous construisons des intervalles de confiance afin de réaliser une étude de simulations qui valide nos résultats. Pour conclure, le fil conducteur de cette modeste contribution, hormis l’analyse des données censurées est la proposition de deux méthodes de prévision alternative à la régression classique. La première approche corrige les effets de bord crée par les estimateurs à noyaux classiques et réduit le biais. Tandis que la seconde est plus robuste et moins affectée par la présence de valeurs aberrantes dans l’échantillon
In this thesis, we are interested in developing robust and efficient methods in the nonparametric estimation of the regression function. The model considered here is the right-hand randomly censored model which is the most used in different practical fields. First, we propose a new estimator of the regression function by the local linear method. We study its almost uniform convergence with rate. We improve the order of the bias term. Finally, we compare its performance with that of the classical kernel regression estimator using simulations. In the second step, we consider the regression function estimator, based on theminimization of the mean relative square error (called : relative regression estimator). We establish the uniform almost sure consistency with rate of the estimator defined for independent and identically distributed observations. We prove its asymptotic normality and give the explicit expression of the variance term. We conduct a simulation study to confirm our theoretical results. Finally, we have applied our estimator on real data. Then, we study the almost sure uniform convergence (on a compact set) with rate of the relative regression estimator for observations that are subject to a dependency structure of α-mixing type. A simulation study shows the good behaviour of the studied estimator. Predictions on generated data are carried out to illustrate the robustness of our estimator. Finally, we establish the asymptotic normality of the relative regression function estimator for α-mixing data. We construct the confidence intervals and perform a simulation study to validate our theoretical results. In addition to the analysis of the censored data, the common thread of this modest contribution is the proposal of two alternative prediction methods to classical regression. The first approach corrects the border effects created by classical kernel estimators and reduces the bias term. While the second is more robust and less affected by the presence of outliers in the sample

This article provides an overview of recent nonparametric and semiparametric advances in kernel regression estimation for functional data. In particular, it considers the various statistical techniques based on kernel smoothing ideas that have recently been developed for functional regression estimation problems. The article first examines nonparametric functional regression modelling before discussing three popular functional regression estimates constructed by means of kernel ideas, namely: the Nadaraya-Watson convolution kernel estimate, the kNN functional estimate, and the local linear functional estimate. Uniform asymptotic results are then presented. The article proceeds by reviewing kernel methods in semiparametric functional regression such as single functional index regression and partial linear functional regression. It also looks at the use of kernels for additive functional regression and concludes by assessing the impact of kernel methods on practical real-data analysis involving functional (curves) datasets.

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Climate Science. Please check back later for the full article.The concept of statistical downscaling or empirical-statistical downscaling became a distinct and important scientific approach in climate science in recent decades, when the climate change issue and assessment of climate change impact on various social and natural systems have become international challenges. Global climate models are the best tools for estimating future climate conditions. Even if improvements can be made in state-of-the art global climate models, in terms of spatial resolution and their performance in simulation of climate characteristics, they are still skillful only in reproducing large-scale feature of climate variability, such as global mean temperature or various circulation patterns (e.g., the North Atlantic Oscillation). However, these models are not able to provide reliable information on local climate characteristics (mean temperature, total precipitation), especially on extreme weather and climate events. The main reason for this failure is the influence of local geographical features on the local climate, as well as other factors related to surrounding large-scale conditions, the influence of which cannot be correctly taken into consideration by the current dynamical global models.Impact models, such as hydrological and crop models, need high resolution information on various climate parameters on the scale of a river basin or a farm, scales that are not available from the usual global climate models. Downscaling techniques produce regional climate information on finer scale, from global climate change scenarios, based on the assumption that there is a systematic link between the large-scale and local climate. Two types of downscaling approaches are known: a) dynamical downscaling is based on regional climate models nested in a global climate model; and b) statistical downscaling is based on developing statistical relationships between large-scale atmospheric variables (predictors), available from global climate models, and observed local-scale variables of interest (predictands).Various types of empirical-statistical downscaling approaches can be placed approximately in linear and nonlinear groupings. The empirical-statistical downscaling techniques focus more on details related to the nonlinear models—their validation, strengths, and weaknesses—in comparison to linear models or the mixed models combining the linear and nonlinear approaches. Stochastic models can be applied to daily and sub-daily precipitation in Romania, with a comparison to dynamical downscaling. Conditional stochastic models are generally specific for daily or sub-daily precipitation as predictand.A complex validation of the nonlinear statistical downscaling models, selection of the large-scale predictors, model ability to reproduce historical trends, extreme events, and the uncertainty related to future downscaled changes are important issues. A better estimation of the uncertainty related to downscaled climate change projections can be achieved by using ensembles of more global climate models as drivers, including their ability to simulate the input in downscaling models. Comparison between future statistical downscaled climate signals and those derived from dynamical downscaling driven by the same global model, including a complex validation of the regional climate models, gives a measure of the reliability of downscaled regional climate changes.

In this chapter, I propose a model averaging estimation of nonparametric models based on Shannon’s entropy measure. The choice of weights in the averaging estimator is implemented bya maximizing the Shannon’s entropy measure which aggregates both model uncertainty and data uncertainty. Finite sample simulation studies show that the proposed averaging estimator outperforms the local linear least square estimator in terms of mean-squared errors and outperforms the Mallows averaging estimator of Hansen (2007) when the signal-to-noise ratio is low. An empirical example to apply the proposed estimator is provided to study the wage equation and illustrates its superiority in out-of-sample forecasts.

We extend the classical approach in supervised classification based on the local likelihood estimation to the functional covariates case. The estimation procedure of the functional parameter (slope parameter) in the linear model when the covariate is of functional kind is investigated. We show, on simulated as well on real data, that classification error rates estimated using test samples, and the estimation procedure by local likelihood seem to lead to better estimators than the classical kernel estimation. In addition, this approach is no longer assuming that the linear predictors have a specific parametric form. However, this approach also has two drawbacks. Indeed, it was more expensive and slower than the kernel regression. Thus, as mentioned earlier, kernels other than the Gaussian kernel can lead to a divergence of the Newton-Raphson algorithm. In contrast, using a Gaussian kernel, 4 to 6 iterations are then sufficient to achieve convergence.

This chapter discusses nonparametric estimation of nonlinear dynamical system models by a method of metric-based local linear approximation. By specifying a metric such as the standard metric or the square metric on the Euclidean space and a weighting function based on such as the exponential function or the cut-off function, it is possible to estimate values of an unknown vector field from experimental data. It can be shown the local linear fitting with the Gaussian kernel, or the local polynomial modeling of degree one, is included in the class of the proposed method. In addition, conducting simulation studies for estimating random oscillations, the chapter shows the method numerically works well.

This chapter provides a variety of adaptive predictor control techniques to deal with different uncertainty collections from four basic uncertainties. These include delay, parameter, ODE state, and PDE state. In the presence of a discrete actuator delay that is long and unknown, but when the actuator state is available for measurement, a global adaptive stabilization result is obtainable. In contrast, the problem where the delay value is unknown, and where the actuator state is not measurable at the same time, is not solvable globally, since the problem is not linearly parameterized in the unknown delay. In this case, a local stabilization is feasible, with restrictions on the initial conditions such that not only do the initial values of the ODE and actuator state have to be small, but also the initial value of the delay estimation error has to be small (the delay value is allowed to be large but the initial value of its estimate has to be close to the true value of the delay).

A seismic waveform inversion algorithm is proposed for the estimation of elastic soil properties using low amplitude, downhole array recordings. Based on a global optimization scheme in the wavelet domain, complemented by a local least-square fit operator in the frequency domain, the hybrid scheme can efficiently identify the optimal solution vicinity in the stochastic search space, whereas the best fit model detection is substantially accelerated through the local deterministic inversion. The applicability of the algorithm is next illustrated using downhole array data obtained by the Kik-net strong motion network during the Mw7.0 Sanriku-Minami earthquake. Inversion of low-amplitude waveforms is first employed for the estimation of low-strain dynamic soil properties at five stations. Successively, inversion of the mainshock empirical site response is employed to extract the equivalent linear dynamic soil properties at the same locations. The inversion algorithm is shown to provide robust estimates of the linear and equivalent linear impedance profiles, while the attenuation structures are strongly affected by scattering effects in the near-surficial heterogeneous layers.

It has been demonstrated in the previous research that the node connectivity in the graph encoding the topological neighborhood relationships between local models in a piecewise dynamic model may significantly affect the cooperative learning process. It was shown that a graph with a larger connectivity leads to a quicker learning adaption due to more rapidly decaying transients of the estimation of local model parameters. In the same time, it was shown that the accuracy could be degraded by a larger bias in the asymptotic portion of the estimations of local model parameters. The efforts in topology optimization should therefore strive towards a high accuracy of the asymptotic portion of the estimator of local model parameters while simultaneously accelerating the decay of the estimation transients. In this paper, we pursue minimization of the residual sum of squares of a piecewise dynamic model after a predetermined number of training steps. The optimization of inter-model topology is implemented via a genetic algorithm that manipulates adjacency matrices of the graph underlying the piecewise dynamic model. An example of applying the topology optimization procedure on a peicewise linear model of a highly nonlinear dynamic system is provided to show the efficacy of the new method.

There are several simplified methods, known as notch stress-strain conversion (NSSC) rules that provide an approximate formula to relate local elastic-plastic stresses and strains at the notch root to those estimated elastically. This paper investigates a unified approach that estimates non-linear and history dependent stress-strain behavior of the notches using the conventional NSSC rules. A non-linear interpolation method is adapted to estimate the elastic-plastic stress and strain at notches. A comparison is made between the finite element results for several notch configurations (with and without three dimensional effects) and those obtained from NSSC rules and the proposed formulation.

We present an adaptive iterative learning based flow imputation algorithm, to estimate missing flow profiles in on ramps and off ramps using a freeway traffic flow model. We use the Link-Node Cell transmission model to describe the traffic state evolution in freeways, with on ramp demand profiles and off ramp split ratios (which are derived from flows) as inputs. The model based imputation algorithm estimates the missing flow profiles that match observed freeway mainline detector data. It is carried out in two steps: (1) adaptive iterative learning of an “effective demand” parameter, which is a function of ramp demands and off ramp flows/ split ratios; (2) estimation of on ramp demands/ off ramp split ratios from the effective demand profile using a linear program. This paper concentrates on the design and analysis of the adaptive iterative learning algorithm. The adaptive iterative learning algorithm is based on a multi-mode (piecewise non-linear) equivalent model of the Link-Node Cell transmission model. The parameter learning update procedure is decentralized, with different update equations depending on the local a-priori state estimate and demand estimate. We present a detailed convergence analysis of our approach and finally demonstrate some examples of its application.

The paper critically examines the New Keynesian explanation of hysteresis based on the role of long-term unemployment. We first examine its analytical foundations, according to which rehiring long-term unemployed individuals would not be possible without accelerating inflation. Then we empirically assess its validity along two lines of inquiry. First, we investigate the reversibility of long-term unemployment. Then we focus on episodes of sustained long-term unemployment reductions to check for inflationary effects. Specifically, in a panel of 25 OECD countries (from 1983 to 2016), we verify by means of local projections whether they are associated with inflationary pressures in a subsequent five-year window. Two main results emerge: i) the evolution of the long-term unemployment rate is almost completely synchronous with the dynamics of the total unemployment rate, both during downswings and upswings; ii) we do not find indications of accelerating or persistently higher inflation during and after episodes of strong declines in the long-term unemployment rate, even when they occur in country-years in which the actual unemployment rate was estimated to be below a conventionally estimated Non-Accelerating Inflation Rate of Unemployment (NAIRU). Our results call into question the role of long-term unemployment in causing hysteresis and provide support to policy implications that are at variance with the conventional wisdom that regards the NAIRU as an inflationary barrier.

The Northwest Tropical Atlantic Station (NTAS) was established to address the need for accurate air-sea flux estimates and upper ocean measurements in a region with strong sea surface temperature anomalies and the likelihood of significant local air–sea interaction on interannual to decadal timescales. The approach is to maintain a surface mooring outfitted for meteorological and oceanographic measurements at a site near 15°N, 51°W by successive mooring turnarounds. These observations will be used to investigate air–sea interaction processes related to climate variability. This report documents recovery of the NTAS-18 mooring and deployment of the NTAS-19 mooring at the same site. Both moorings used Surlyn foam buoys as the surface element. These buoys were outfitted with two Air–Sea Interaction Meteorology (ASIMET) systems. Each system measures, records, and transmits via Argos satellite the surface meteorological variables necessary to compute air–sea fluxes of heat, moisture and momentum. The upper 160 m of the mooring line were outfitted with oceanographic sensors for the measurement of temperature, salinity and velocity. Deep ocean temperature and salinity are measured at approximately 38 m above the bottom. The mooring turnaround was done on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ship Ronald H. Brown, Cruise RB-20-06, by the Upper Ocean Processes Group of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. The cruise took place between 14 October and 1 November 2020. The NTAS-19 mooring was deployed on 22 October, with an anchor position of about 14° 49.48° N, 51° 00.96° W in 4985 m of water. A 31-hour intercomparison period followed, during which satellite telemetry data from the NTAS-19 buoy and the ship’s meteorological sensors were monitored. The NTAS-18 buoy, which had gone adrift on 28 April 2020, was recovered on 20 October near 13° 41.96° N, 58° 38.67° W. This report describes these operations, as well as other work done on the cruise and some of the pre-cruise buoy preparations.

1.1 Macroeconomic summary Economic recovery has consistently outperformed the technical staff’s expectations following a steep decline in activity in the second quarter of 2020. At the same time, total and core inflation rates have fallen and remain at low levels, suggesting that a significant element of the reactivation of Colombia’s economy has been related to recovery in potential GDP. This would support the technical staff’s diagnosis of weak aggregate demand and ample excess capacity. The most recently available data on 2020 growth suggests a contraction in economic activity of 6.8%, lower than estimates from January’s Monetary Policy Report (-7.2%). High-frequency indicators suggest that economic performance was significantly more dynamic than expected in January, despite mobility restrictions and quarantine measures. This has also come amid declines in total and core inflation, the latter of which was below January projections if controlling for certain relative price changes. This suggests that the unexpected strength of recent growth contains elements of demand, and that excess capacity, while significant, could be lower than previously estimated. Nevertheless, uncertainty over the measurement of excess capacity continues to be unusually high and marked both by variations in the way different economic sectors and spending components have been affected by the pandemic, and by uneven price behavior. The size of excess capacity, and in particular the evolution of the pandemic in forthcoming quarters, constitute substantial risks to the macroeconomic forecast presented in this report. Despite the unexpected strength of the recovery, the technical staff continues to project ample excess capacity that is expected to remain on the forecast horizon, alongside core inflation that will likely remain below the target. Domestic demand remains below 2019 levels amid unusually significant uncertainty over the size of excess capacity in the economy. High national unemployment (14.6% for February 2021) reflects a loose labor market, while observed total and core inflation continue to be below 2%. Inflationary pressures from the exchange rate are expected to continue to be low, with relatively little pass-through on inflation. This would be compatible with a negative output gap. Excess productive capacity and the expectation of core inflation below the 3% target on the forecast horizon provide a basis for an expansive monetary policy posture. The technical staff’s assessment of certain shocks and their expected effects on the economy, as well as the presence of several sources of uncertainty and related assumptions about their potential macroeconomic impacts, remain a feature of this report. The coronavirus pandemic, in particular, continues to affect the public health environment, and the reopening of Colombia’s economy remains incomplete. The technical staff’s assessment is that the COVID-19 shock has affected both aggregate demand and supply, but that the impact on demand has been deeper and more persistent. Given this persistence, the central forecast accounts for a gradual tightening of the output gap in the absence of new waves of contagion, and as vaccination campaigns progress. The central forecast continues to include an expected increase of total and core inflation rates in the second quarter of 2021, alongside the lapse of the temporary price relief measures put in place in 2020. Additional COVID-19 outbreaks (of uncertain duration and intensity) represent a significant risk factor that could affect these projections. Additionally, the forecast continues to include an upward trend in sovereign risk premiums, reflected by higher levels of public debt that in the wake of the pandemic are likely to persist on the forecast horizon, even in the context of a fiscal adjustment. At the same time, the projection accounts for the shortterm effects on private domestic demand from a fiscal adjustment along the lines of the one currently being proposed by the national government. This would be compatible with a gradual recovery of private domestic demand in 2022. The size and characteristics of the fiscal adjustment that is ultimately implemented, as well as the corresponding market response, represent another source of forecast uncertainty. Newly available information offers evidence of the potential for significant changes to the macroeconomic scenario, though without altering the general diagnosis described above. The most recent data on inflation, growth, fiscal policy, and international financial conditions suggests a more dynamic economy than previously expected. However, a third wave of the pandemic has delayed the re-opening of Colombia’s economy and brought with it a deceleration in economic activity. Detailed descriptions of these considerations and subsequent changes to the macroeconomic forecast are presented below. The expected annual decline in GDP (-0.3%) in the first quarter of 2021 appears to have been less pronounced than projected in January (-4.8%). Partial closures in January to address a second wave of COVID-19 appear to have had a less significant negative impact on the economy than previously estimated. This is reflected in figures related to mobility, energy demand, industry and retail sales, foreign trade, commercial transactions from selected banks, and the national statistics agency’s (DANE) economic tracking indicator (ISE). Output is now expected to have declined annually in the first quarter by 0.3%. Private consumption likely continued to recover, registering levels somewhat above those from the previous year, while public consumption likely increased significantly. While a recovery in investment in both housing and in other buildings and structures is expected, overall investment levels in this case likely continued to be low, and gross fixed capital formation is expected to continue to show significant annual declines. Imports likely recovered to again outpace exports, though both are expected to register significant annual declines. Economic activity that outpaced projections, an increase in oil prices and other export products, and an expected increase in public spending this year account for the upward revision to the 2021 growth forecast (from 4.6% with a range between 2% and 6% in January, to 6.0% with a range between 3% and 7% in April). As a result, the output gap is expected to be smaller and to tighten more rapidly than projected in the previous report, though it is still expected to remain in negative territory on the forecast horizon. Wide forecast intervals reflect the fact that the future evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic remains a significant source of uncertainty on these projections. The delay in the recovery of economic activity as a result of the resurgence of COVID-19 in the first quarter appears to have been less significant than projected in the January report. The central forecast scenario expects this improved performance to continue in 2021 alongside increased consumer and business confidence. Low real interest rates and an active credit supply would also support this dynamic, and the overall conditions would be expected to spur a recovery in consumption and investment. Increased growth in public spending and public works based on the national government’s spending plan (Plan Financiero del Gobierno) are other factors to consider. Additionally, an expected recovery in global demand and higher projected prices for oil and coffee would further contribute to improved external revenues and would favor investment, in particular in the oil sector. Given the above, the technical staff’s 2021 growth forecast has been revised upward from 4.6% in January (range from 2% to 6%) to 6.0% in April (range from 3% to 7%). These projections account for the potential for the third wave of COVID-19 to have a larger and more persistent effect on the economy than the previous wave, while also supposing that there will not be any additional significant waves of the pandemic and that mobility restrictions will be relaxed as a result. Economic growth in 2022 is expected to be 3%, with a range between 1% and 5%. This figure would be lower than projected in the January report (3.6% with a range between 2% and 6%), due to a higher base of comparison given the upward revision to expected GDP in 2021. This forecast also takes into account the likely effects on private demand of a fiscal adjustment of the size currently being proposed by the national government, and which would come into effect in 2022. Excess in productive capacity is now expected to be lower than estimated in January but continues to be significant and affected by high levels of uncertainty, as reflected in the wide forecast intervals. The possibility of new waves of the virus (of uncertain intensity and duration) represents a significant downward risk to projected GDP growth, and is signaled by the lower limits of the ranges provided in this report. Inflation (1.51%) and inflation excluding food and regulated items (0.94%) declined in March compared to December, continuing below the 3% target. The decline in inflation in this period was below projections, explained in large part by unanticipated increases in the costs of certain foods (3.92%) and regulated items (1.52%). An increase in international food and shipping prices, increased foreign demand for beef, and specific upward pressures on perishable food supplies appear to explain a lower-than-expected deceleration in the consumer price index (CPI) for foods. An unexpected increase in regulated items prices came amid unanticipated increases in international fuel prices, on some utilities rates, and for regulated education prices. The decline in annual inflation excluding food and regulated items between December and March was in line with projections from January, though this included downward pressure from a significant reduction in telecommunications rates due to the imminent entry of a new operator. When controlling for the effects of this relative price change, inflation excluding food and regulated items exceeds levels forecast in the previous report. Within this indicator of core inflation, the CPI for goods (1.05%) accelerated due to a reversion of the effects of the VAT-free day in November, which was largely accounted for in February, and possibly by the transmission of a recent depreciation of the peso on domestic prices for certain items (electric and household appliances). For their part, services prices decelerated and showed the lowest rate of annual growth (0.89%) among the large consumer baskets in the CPI. Within the services basket, the annual change in rental prices continued to decline, while those services that continue to experience the most significant restrictions on returning to normal operations (tourism, cinemas, nightlife, etc.) continued to register significant price declines. As previously mentioned, telephone rates also fell significantly due to increased competition in the market. Total inflation is expected to continue to be affected by ample excesses in productive capacity for the remainder of 2021 and 2022, though less so than projected in January. As a result, convergence to the inflation target is now expected to be somewhat faster than estimated in the previous report, assuming the absence of significant additional outbreaks of COVID-19. The technical staff’s year-end inflation projections for 2021 and 2022 have increased, suggesting figures around 3% due largely to variation in food and regulated items prices. The projection for inflation excluding food and regulated items also increased, but remains below 3%. Price relief measures on indirect taxes implemented in 2020 are expected to lapse in the second quarter of 2021, generating a one-off effect on prices and temporarily affecting inflation excluding food and regulated items. However, indexation to low levels of past inflation, weak demand, and ample excess productive capacity are expected to keep core inflation below the target, near 2.3% at the end of 2021 (previously 2.1%). The reversion in 2021 of the effects of some price relief measures on utility rates from 2020 should lead to an increase in the CPI for regulated items in the second half of this year. Annual price changes are now expected to be higher than estimated in the January report due to an increased expected path for fuel prices and unanticipated increases in regulated education prices. The projection for the CPI for foods has increased compared to the previous report, taking into account certain factors that were not anticipated in January (a less favorable agricultural cycle, increased pressure from international prices, and transport costs). Given the above, year-end annual inflation for 2021 and 2022 is now expected to be 3% and 2.8%, respectively, which would be above projections from January (2.3% and 2,7%). For its part, expected inflation based on analyst surveys suggests year-end inflation in 2021 and 2022 of 2.8% and 3.1%, respectively. There remains significant uncertainty surrounding the inflation forecasts included in this report due to several factors: 1) the evolution of the pandemic; 2) the difficulty in evaluating the size and persistence of excess productive capacity; 3) the timing and manner in which price relief measures will lapse; and 4) the future behavior of food prices. Projected 2021 growth in foreign demand (4.4% to 5.2%) and the supposed average oil price (USD 53 to USD 61 per Brent benchmark barrel) were both revised upward. An increase in long-term international interest rates has been reflected in a depreciation of the peso and could result in relatively tighter external financial conditions for emerging market economies, including Colombia. Average growth among Colombia’s trade partners was greater than expected in the fourth quarter of 2020. This, together with a sizable fiscal stimulus approved in the United States and the onset of a massive global vaccination campaign, largely explains the projected increase in foreign demand growth in 2021. The resilience of the goods market in the face of global crisis and an expected normalization in international trade are additional factors. These considerations and the expected continuation of a gradual reduction of mobility restrictions abroad suggest that Colombia’s trade partners could grow on average by 5.2% in 2021 and around 3.4% in 2022. The improved prospects for global economic growth have led to an increase in current and expected oil prices. Production interruptions due to a heavy winter, reduced inventories, and increased supply restrictions instituted by producing countries have also contributed to the increase. Meanwhile, market forecasts and recent Federal Reserve pronouncements suggest that the benchmark interest rate in the U.S. will remain stable for the next two years. Nevertheless, a significant increase in public spending in the country has fostered expectations for greater growth and inflation, as well as increased uncertainty over the moment in which a normalization of monetary policy might begin. This has been reflected in an increase in long-term interest rates. In this context, emerging market economies in the region, including Colombia, have registered increases in sovereign risk premiums and long-term domestic interest rates, and a depreciation of local currencies against the dollar. Recent outbreaks of COVID-19 in several of these economies; limits on vaccine supply and the slow pace of immunization campaigns in some countries; a significant increase in public debt; and tensions between the United States and China, among other factors, all add to a high level of uncertainty surrounding interest rate spreads, external financing conditions, and the future performance of risk premiums. The impact that this environment could have on the exchange rate and on domestic financing conditions represent risks to the macroeconomic and monetary policy forecasts. Domestic financial conditions continue to favor recovery in economic activity. The transmission of reductions to the policy interest rate on credit rates has been significant. The banking portfolio continues to recover amid circumstances that have affected both the supply and demand for loans, and in which some credit risks have materialized. Preferential and ordinary commercial interest rates have fallen to a similar degree as the benchmark interest rate. As is generally the case, this transmission has come at a slower pace for consumer credit rates, and has been further delayed in the case of mortgage rates. Commercial credit levels stabilized above pre-pandemic levels in March, following an increase resulting from significant liquidity requirements for businesses in the second quarter of 2020. The consumer credit portfolio continued to recover and has now surpassed February 2020 levels, though overall growth in the portfolio remains low. At the same time, portfolio projections and default indicators have increased, and credit establishment earnings have come down. Despite this, credit disbursements continue to recover and solvency indicators remain well above regulatory minimums. 1.2 Monetary policy decision In its meetings in March and April the BDBR left the benchmark interest rate unchanged at 1.75%.