Nonparametric and semiparametric regression, missing data, and related algorithms:

This dissertation consists of two chapters: Chapter 1 develops nonparametric and semiparametric regression methodologies which relate the group testing responses to the individual covariates information. In this chapter, we extend the parametric regression model of Xie (2001) for binary group testing data to the nonparametric and semiparametric models. We fit nonparametric and semiparametric models and obtain estimators of the parameters by maximizing penalized likelihood function. For implementation, we apply EM algorithm considering the individual responses as complete data and the group testing responses as observed data. Simulation studies are performed to illustrate the methodologies and to evaluate the finite sample performance of our methods. In general, group testing involves a large number of subjects, hence, the computational aspect is also discussed. The results show that our estimation methods perform well for estimating both the individual probability of positive outcome and the prevalence rate in the population. Chapter 2 studies a partially linear regression model with missing response variable and develops semiparametric efficient inference for the parametric component of the model. The missingness considered here includes a broad range of missing patterns. For the estimation method, we use the concept of least favorable curve, least favorable direction and the generalized profile likelihood in Severini and Wong (1992). Asymptotic distributions for the estimators of the parametric components are obtained. It is shown that the estimators are asymptotically normally distributed under some conditions. Furthermore, we prove that the asymptotic covariance of the estimators achieves the semiparametric lower bound under the regularity conditions and additional conditions given in the appendix. We also propose an algorithm which runs iteratively between fitting parametric components and fitting nonparametric components while holding the other fixed. EM algorithms are used in estimating the parametric components by a semiparametric estimating equation and in estimating the nonparametric components by smoothing methods. It is proved that the estimators from this iterative algorithm equal to the conditional expectations (conditioned on observed data) of the semiparametric efficient estimators from complete data. The methodology is illustrated and evaluated by numerical examples.Ph.D.Includes bibliographical referencesby Mingyu L