Approximations for Skewed probability densities based on Laguerre series and biological applications

Charles E. Smith (Dept of Statistics, Biomath ProgramNorth Carolina State Univ.)

10月19日 (火) 午前11時から
理学部3号館 6階 3631 数理生物学セミナー室


The gamma and chi-squared distributions have been widely used in statiostics, both as a fit to experimental data, particularly lifetime data, and a s limiting distributions of a terst statistic. The special case of an exponential distribution also arises as some parameter approaches a limit, for example, when the threshold approaches infinity in a first passage time problem. Here we seek to efficiently approximate the behaviour of distributions that are close to a gamma distribution. The approximation is of the Gram-Charlier type with the parent distribution being a gamma distribution, rather than a normal distribution, and with Laguere polynomial multiplers rather Hermite polynomial multiplers. The Laguerre series approximation (L-series) is then developed and several application areas are considered. The problem of estimation of the coefficients in the approximation is then considered by several methods: method of momemnts, method of L-moments, and maximun likelihood estimation. Finally a graphical diagnostic procedure to examine when applying L-series might be appropriate.